A misplaced pass by Akash Mishra was collected, deep in his own half, by Juan Sebastian Pena. And then he set out on a lung-busting run forward, brushing aside shoulder barges, dodging tackles, and bypassing three Mumbai City defenders. Once in the box, with the ball on his right foot, he hammered a side-footed shot past the diving TP Rehenesh in goal.
In that one solo move in the 94th minute of play, SC Delhi had completed a miraculous turnaround on Sunday at the Mumbai Football Arena. At halftime, SC Delhi trailed 2-0. With Pena’s strike, they finished the match with a 3-2 win.
It was the Delhi team’s first win of the season. For Mumbai City though, the wait for their first three-points this term continues.
The hosts on Sunday were hoping for a change in fortunes in their first home game of the season. The Mumbai club opened their campaign with a defeat against Churchill Brothers and then played out draws against Punjab FC and Kerala Blasters.
With the way they played in the first half against a lacklustre Delhi defence, it seemed that Mumbai would pick up the elusive win. Then they were undone by their own defensive errors in the second half, with the visitors scoring twice in stoppage time.
“It’s not normal to concede the goals that we did in the last minutes,” an emotional Mumbai City head coach Manolo Marquez said after the match. “Even if you are disappointed that they equalised at 2-2, you need to be strong mentally. But don’t give away the game. Don’t do any more nonsense. The (last goal we conceded) was a joke.”
{{/usCountry}}“It’s not normal to concede the goals that we did in the last minutes,” an emotional Mumbai City head coach Manolo Marquez said after the match. “Even if you are disappointed that they equalised at 2-2, you need to be strong mentally. But don’t give away the game. Don’t do any more nonsense. The (last goal we conceded) was a joke.”
{{/usCountry}}Marquez, a veteran Spanish coach, has been associated with ISL clubs since he took charge of the erstwhile Hyderabad FC in 2020. He led the team to the ISL Cup in 2021-22, and then later coached FC Goa to the Super Cup in 2025.
At Mumbai City, though, he has been handling a team that has been struggling with injuries. And there has been speculation about Marquez’s own future at the club.
“If the club decides to substitute the coach, they can do it,” added Marquez, who stormed off the pitch straight to the dressing room after the full-time whistle.
In the absence of the experienced forwards Vikram Partap Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil, Marquez handed 20-year-old Hridaya Jain a first start, as he teamed up with the pacy PN Noufal and Muhammad Ajsal as the Mumbai strike force.
In the opening exchanges, as Delhi struggled to find their feet in defence, the trio worked well to create chances. In the seventh minute, Noufal nicked the ball from the Delhi captain Lamgoulen Semkholun and passed it to Ajsal. The duo exchanged the ball with each other once again before Ajsal calmly slotted home to give Mumbai the lead.
Twenty minutes later, Noufal got to the end of a stray pass from the Delhi backline and dashed forward. Getting into the box, he scanned for options and played a perfect low cross to Zothanpuia, who took a touch to bring the ball under control before making it 2-0.
At halftime, Mumbai seemed like they would run away with it.
But at the change of ends, Delhi started to push back. Mumbai’s lack of experience at the front saw a few two-on-one chances going waste, and even Jain missed out on a glorious chance from close range with a tame shot straight at the goalkeeper.
In the 74th minute, Delhi substitute Ashutosh Mehta headed a corner towards goal. Rehenesh failed to collect it, and Mehta got to the rebound, playing a first-time cross that Portuguese striker Carlos Fortes tapped into an open net.
With the wind in their sails, Delhi pushed for an equaliser. They found it in the 92nd minute when Akshat Mehra, another substitute, attempted a long-range strike that Rehenesh inexplicably let slip through his arms.
Two minutes later, Pena celebrated by taking his shirt off and running towards his dugout.
The festivities continued on the pitch once the full-time whistle blew. For Mumbai, though, with their players standing on the field wondering what might have been, there are still many questions left unanswered.