At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday, FC Goa defeated NorthEast United FC 2-1 to move up to fifth place in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Taking over as head coach of NorthEast United FC for the second time, Vincenzo Annese made five adjustments to the starting lineup from the 7-3 defeat to Chennaiyin FC last week. This time, NorthEast United FC didn't take a risky strategy, but it didn't significantly affect the result.
Thanks to Noah Sadaoui and Edu Bedia, FC Goa got off to an excellent start. After some deft movement from Sadaoui on the left flank, who found Bedia in the area, Bedia ran into the box from midfield and fired his shot into the corner as per the ISL website.
After 10 minutes, FC Goa had a 2-0 lead as a result of Mirshad Michu of NorthEast United FC fouling Sadaoui, they were given a free kick at the edge of the box. Iker Guarrotxena was well-placed to score after Sadaoui's free-kick ricocheted off the wall and into his path. FC Goa led 2-0 going into the break.
The second half started out quietly. NorthEast United FC, who had some promising half-chances at the close of the first half, were entering the final third more frequently, but they weren't really bothering the FC Goa defence. While waiting for a chance, FC Goa was content to put together a lot of passes.
In the 74th minute, Noah Sadaoui, who played a fantastic game, was only inches away from giving FC Goa a 3-0 lead. He was able to get past the goalkeeper on the break and find space, but his scuffed shot struck the post.
Five minutes into stoppage time, NorthEast United FC's Wilmar Jordan converted a penalty to win the game. Although his penalty was expertly placed into the corner, it was insufficient to give them their first points of the year.
On December 24 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, NorthEast United FC will play host to ATK Mohun Bagan, hoping to build on a respectable second-half performance. They still rank last in the ISL rankings. On the other hand, FC Goa travels to JRD TATA Sports Complex in Jamshedpur to take on Jamshedpur FC on December 22.
( With inputs from ANI )
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