Mumbai City FC have made a solid start to the 2026 ISL season — they are unbeaten in their first four games (two wins and two draws). However, they face a tricky test away from home on Sunday, when they lock horns with Antonio Lopez Habas’s defensively astute Inter Kashi at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
Inter Kashi were promoted after winning the I-League last season, and have already shown they can go toe to toe with well-established clubs, particularly thanks to their robust defensive tactics, which has seen them concede just thrice in four games (despite being down to 10 men in one of them). Nevertheless, The Islanders’s coach Petr Kratky insists his team can penetrate their backline.
“They are very well drilled. Their defensive mindset and defensive transitions are very good. But I believe that we can create chances and score goals. It’s all about our approach [to the game]. We want to show a good attitude. We want to play attacking football. Obviously, against Inter Kashi it will be hard, but I believe in my team’s ability to break it [their defence],” Kratky told reporters on Friday.
Mumbai City’s left flank, comprising winger PN Noufal and full-back Aakash Mishra proved to be a thorn in Delhi Sporting Club’s defence in their last game (a 2-2 draw), and Kratky hopes the rest of the team can take a leaf out of their book, to bolster the attack. “I’m very happy with our team’s start in certain areas, like the left side. Hopefully, they can keep going and produce not only on the left side but also on the right,” added Kratky.
Ex-AIFF general secy Das dies at 66
Kushal Das
Former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das, who played a vital role in organising the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, died at the age of 65 on Friday. Das held the role of general secretary for 12 years before retiring in 2022.
