I-League Media Team
Mumbai: The last match of the Hero I-League has dawned on us here at cooperage. Mumbai FC, already relegated this season will have the pride to play for at home, as they take on the formidable Kingfisher East Bengal at the iconic Cooperage Football Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai FC faced Shillong Lajong in their previous fixture, which ended 1-1 owing to a late Shillong strike. East Bengal, on the other hand, won against Minerva Punjab in a convincing 3-1 win at home.
Kingfisher East Bengal coach Ranjan Chaudhary was optimistic at the pre-match press conference, “This is our last match. We want to win, as we want to finish as high as we can. We want a good spot for the upcoming Federation Cup in May. We know that Mumbai are a tough team to beat at home and we will be wary of that.”
His counterpart Oscar Bruzon was frank in his responses. “When I signed for Mumbai, I had three objectives on hand – Avoid Relegation, Qualify for Federation Cup and Avoid Finishing at Last Spot. Unfortunately, we could not come well on two of them. We still have a calculative chance to finish above Minerva Punjab FC. We will be going all out for the win.”
“Lack of foreigners through the season has hurt the team. Luck has also played a big part in the fortune of the team. We have given a tough fight in the last three games but we were unlucky to gain more points.”
Red & Golds defender Rahul Bheke, former Mumbai FC player spoke on playing against his former club, “It is always good to be back in Mumbai. I had a good time with Mumbai FC. Now I am with East Bengal and will go all out for the win against Mumbai. We have had a good season with some setbacks at different points in the season. We are looking forward to finishing high and get a good fixture for the Federation Cup.”
On Mumbai FC’s relegation, Rahul responded, “It is a bad for Mumbai football. It has been a great platform for Mumbai footballers to rise up and will surely have an adverse effect on Mumbai football overall.”
Mumbai FC’s Clyde Fernandes stated, “This season has been a learning curve for me and the club. The coach has been a positive influence on the team. We will go all guns blazing to give our fans a victory against the giant of Kolkata.”
Mumbai FC are currently at the ninth spot with 13 points while Kingfisher East Bengal are at the third spot with 30 points.
The match is scheduled at 07:00 PM and it’ll be telecast live on Ten 1.
