FC Goa and Kerala Blasters clashed at the Fatorda stadium in Goa in a decisive match for both sides. The visitors looked defensively solid in the first half but failed to hold on to their defensive solidarity till the entirety of the game as the Gaurs found 2 goals in the second half ultimately damning the visitors to the 10th spot in the league. Let’s take a look at some of the game’s cracking moments.
Manolo Marquez made three changes to his 11 from the previous game, bringing in Drazic, Yasir and Sangwan in place of Borja (suspended), Brison and Jay Gupta respectively while the Blasters’ lineup saw four changes – bringing in Aiban Dohling in place of Sandeep and Vibin instead of Peprah along with their latest recruits – Dusan Lagator and Kamaljit Singh starting their 1st game in place of a suspended Hormipam and an injured Sachin Suresh in goal.
The game began with both sides giving significance towards keeping their own defense tight which resulted in a dragged-out game with both sides failing to create major threatening chances in the 1st quarter of the game. However, that would soon change as FC Goa opened up the first real chance in the game in the 19th minute when a corner by Yasir found an unmarked McHugh in the box, but the sailing Irishman’s bouncing header went over the crossbar much to the relief of the visitors.
The first real save of the game came in the 25th minute when a sailing shot by Iker towards the second post was stopped in its tracks by Kamaljit in goal. But the first real test for Kamaljit however came in the 36th minute when a clever lob by Iker was met by an unmarked Drazic but his shot was saved spectacularly by the man in goal for the Blasters’.
The gaurs got another chance just before the break but ex-FCG wingback Aiban stepped up to the task to ensure that the looming Iker couldn’t latch on to the ball. The game went into the half-time break with both sides failing to score but that was about to change soon.
The second half began with a surprising Goan attack as Dejan unleashed a long-range attempt which was saved by Kamaljit, but the rebound was first met by Iker Guarrotxena who pushed the ball past Kamaljit in goal giving the gaurs the lead, early on in the second half. The Blasters got a chance soon after in the 47th minute when Amawia found Jesus in the box, but the Spaniard couldn’t trap the ball and was subsequently defended neatly by the Goan defense.
The Gaurs nearly got another good opportunity in the 52nd minute when a cross by Iker was met by an onrushing Dejan but his header was blocked by the outstretched leg of an arriving Aiban. This act of defending however had resulted in a bad outcome for the Blasters as the in-form Aiban had gotten himself injured in the process. He was subsequently subbed off for Sandeep in the 55th minute of the game.
The Blasters’ poor luck was far from over as they were met with another injury crisis just minutes later, with this time the injured player being Amawia. He was also subbed off immediately in the 57th minute with Aimen replacing him on the pitch. Aimen made an instant impact as he managed to deliver a good ball into the box but neither Jesus nor the Goan defense could get a touch onto the ball and was subsequently skied by an onrushing Sandeep who found himself in a poor angle to be able to score.
Iker and Naocha had a small, heated exchange in the 64th minute but the situation was doused down quickly by their teammates. However, both players found themselves booked by the referee in the end. The hosts doubled their lead in the 72nd minute when Iker’s cross across the box found an unmarked Yasir, who just had to tap it in.
Both Manolo and Tomasz made two changes in the subsequent minutes with Manolo bringing in Sadiku and Brison in place of Drazic and Yasir while Tomasz subbed off Dusan Lagator and Danish Farooq for Kwame Peprah and Bikash Yumnam, making his debut for the Blasters.
Bikash got himself booked within less than a minute of coming in as a substitute. Goa made another change in the 83rd minute substituting Ayush for Sahil. The Blasters finally got another good opportunity in the 88th minute of the game when a delectable through pass by Luna found Peprah’s run into the box but was defended neatly again by the home captain Odei.
Guarroxtena suffered a seemingly serious injury trying to defend a corner in the 90th minute inducing a brief moment of panic in the field and was substituted immediately in caution despite him signaling that he was okay (He’s totally fine now as per Marcus Mergulhao). Iker along with Akash was substituted in the 93rd minute with Rowllin Borges and Jay Gupta coming in as replacements. The game went on without any other major events as it finished 2-0 in favor of the gaurs.
Manolo would be happy with how his side performed and would be looking up to the playoffs in his final season at the club while Purushothaman and Tchorz would be disappointed with how the game went as this result heavily impacts their playoff chances and how it has also dropped them down to 10th in the league just to add more salt to their now rotting wound.
Fact: With this result, the Blasters’ have earned themselves a new achievement – the most no. of games lost in a single season (11).
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