Ghanaian striker Kwesi Appiah scored from the spot as NorthEast United FC started their Indian Super League campaign with a 1-0 win over Mumbai City FC here on Saturday.

A red card and a penalty turned the game, that Mumbai were otherwise dominating, on its head and handed NorthEast United FC a winning start at the Tilak Maidan.

Appiah  scored the only goal from a penalty in the 49th minute after the Islanders were reduced to 10-men following Ahmed Jahouh’s red card just before the breather.

In the early stages, it looked like NorthEast were aiming for nothing more than a goalless draw, with extreme caution visible in their game plan.

Predictably, it was Mumbai who dominated the first half. The Islanders were neat and proactive for long spells, though they were unable to find a cutting edge.

Despite having players like Jahouh, Hugo Boumous, and Rowllin Borges, all capable of creating magic on their day, Sergio Lobera’s side failed to get a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes.