The late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban once said: “When I was first here, we had the advantages of the underdog. Now we have the disadvantages of the overdog.”

After recording upset wins over Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the opening two games of their debut season in the I-League, Mumbai FC may find themselves contending with the same disadvantages. But star striker Abhishek Yadav believes that with his team’s outstanding start, which has taken them to the top of the table, the pressure is now well and truly on all the other teams in the league.

“Nobody ever expected us to do so well and beat such established teams. And neither of our opponents were in any way unlucky, we completely deserved our wins,” says Yadav.

The 27-year-old admits that his team did have a slight advantage in their opening encounters, as none of the teams outside Mumbai really knew much about them. “They never really got a good look at our team, and maybe weren’t really ready for us,” he says.

Right tempo

Team manager Henry Menezes quashes any mention of either of the Kolkata teams having taken his team lightly. “In the initial phase of the league, everybody wants to win every single game, and there is no question of them having been complacent,” he says.

Menezes is elated at the team spirit that was displayed, and attributes the hard-work put in by his team for the past one-and-a-half years for the unexpected success.

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