FC Goa extend their unbeaten run to five matches with a draw against ATK Mohun Bagan. It was an exciting 1-1 draw at the Fatorda Stadium in match no. 62 in the Indian Super League.
The Mariners took the lead after the 75th minute from a brilliant free-kick by Edu Garcia. But the lead only lasted for less than 10 minutes. Ishan Pandita restored parity following a corner kick.
ATK Mohun Bagan remain in second place, five points behind Mumbai City FC. Whereas FC Goa stay in third place with 19 points in 12 games.
FC Goa 1-1 ATK Mohun Bagan Team News:
Goa coach Juan Ferrando started with his favourite 4-2-3-1 formation. Navin Kumar continued in goal ahead of Nawaz. Then Seriton, Donachie, Gonzalez, and Saviour Gama made up their defence.
In the defensive midfield, the Gaurs had Lenny Rodrigues and Edu Bedia. Further up the pitch, Ferrando played Jesuraj, Noguera, and Brandon Fernandes. Jorge Ortiz was the lone striker who started in place of Igor Angulo.
Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas started with a 3-5-2 formation. In form goalkeeper Arindam started in goal. Pritam, Tiri, and Sandesh formed the back three.
Then Sahil, McHugh and Edu Garcia operated through the middle of the park. Prabir Das and Subhasish Bose were the wide midfielders in the game. Lastly, Roy Krishna and David Williams played as forwards.
FC Goa 1-1 ATK Mohun Bagan Analysis:
ATK Mohun Bagan started on the front foot. Edu Garcia took two shots from outside of the box which were wayward. Then Prabir Das registered the first shot on target after being played through by McHugh. Naveen handled the ball pretty well.
Then we witnessed some end-to-end football. Subhasish’s header from Garcia’s corner hit the woodwork after 27 minutes. Soon after this, the Gaurs hit the crossbar. Seriton’s ball reached Noguera who attempted a cut-back. But the ball was deflected and clipped the bar. 9 minutes from half-time, Gama had his shot saved by Arindam who was looking to register his eighth clean sheet of the season.
The game was goalless at the break. The second half also started in a fast pace. Seriton’s cross turned shot hit the inside of the post and Habas’s side survived another scare.
Although FC Goa dominated possession in the second half, it was the Mariners who took the lead. They got a free-kick just outside the box following a foul on Roy Krishna. Edu Garcia took it and deceived Naveen with a powerful strike at the top corner.
Then Goa started to press strongly in search of an equalizer. Then Pandita found the ball in the box and slotted the ball home. Pritam cleared Goa’s initial effort from a corner from the goal line. Pandita reacted quickly and equalized for Goa.
Both the teams had a last chance to win the game. But Manvir Singh’s header hit the post one minute from time. Saviour and Ortiz both failed to score from their chances in the dying stages.
Reaction and Notable Performances
Ferrando was not happy with the draw. On the other hand, Habas was content with the result.
“I think that the high press of my team was very good because ATK Mohun Bagan could not play. Just one detail, in transition we lost the ball and gave away the foul but the opponents scored a nice goal. We always want the three points. We had more chances so at the end a draw is not good enough for us,”
Juan Ferrando
“The final scoreline is a fair one. We had chances to win the match but we couldn’t score the goal.
“This was a big match between two well-trained teams. We were unable to create many chances. It is very difficult to have a lot of chances against very big clubs. But I am very happy with the performance of my team,”
Antonio Habas
Saviour Gama: The young defender played a really good game on Sunday. He created one chance and had two shots on target. He also made three successful interceptions and four tackles. His passing completion rate was 73%.
Jorge Ortiz: The Spanish player was also in the thick of things in the game. He created four chances and always looked a threat in the game.
Sandesh Jhingan: The Mohun Bagan defender was solid as always. He cleared his lines well and stood like a wall to stop Goa from creating.
Next, FC Goa face Kerala Blasters on Saturday and ATK Mohun Bagan face Chennaiyin FC on Thursday.
