Jahouh was the fulcrum for Mumbai in midfield, but a reckless tackle to NorthEast’s Khassa Camara caused the referee to show him a direct red card minutes before the end of the first half.
Gerard Nus’s men capitalized on their numerical advantage shortly after the restart. The Highlanders were awarded a penalty in the 49th minute when the ball hit Rowlin Borges’ arm after Dylan Fox headed in from a corner kick. Appiah sent Mumbai goalkeeper Amrinder Singh in the wrong direction to lead his team ahead.
With Mumbai now under pressure, NorthEast took control of the game with Khumanthem Meetei and Appiah making regular forays into their rivals’ territory. Lobera made a tactical change by replacing Ogbeche with Stephen Goddard, giving Le Fondre a central role up front.
Mumbai had a rare opportunity in the 65th minute when Sarthak made a header, but his effort passed inches from the crossbar. Lobera’s men kept knocking on the door in the last quarter, but the draw escaped them.
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