Two hundred and ten minutes of football over two legs, yet there was no winner to head into the final between Mumbai City FC and FC Goa. Such was the battle, that it came down to ISL’s first-ever sudden death in a penalty shootout to decide the first finalist And it turned out to be Mumbai City FC who had the last laugh as they edged FC Goa on penalties 6-5 at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim, Goa.
One of the highlights of the thriller was when both coaches sprung a surprise as they decided to substitute their goalkeepers with the contest heading into the penalty shootout. Goa brought on Naveen Kumar while Mumbai raised some eyebrows when they decided to field Phurba Lachenpa in place of skipper and one of the best goalkeepers of the season Amrinder Singh.
But, as it turned out to be, the Sikkimese gloveman survived the battle of nerves, helping the Islanders book a place in the final for the first time.
With all to fight for in the second leg, this contest was always going…