With both teams starting off with wins in their first game, the clash between FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata was always going to be a cracker. Especially after encounters between the two teams last year saw a fair bit of ill-feeling, what with Kolkata coach Antonio Habas punching FC Goa's then-marquee player Robert Pires. The match started off with a high tempo and Kolkata went on the attack from the word go.
Izumi slots it in
Goa pushed hard for an early goal with two chances in the 10th and 11th minute but lacked the accuracy to score that all-important first goal. On the other hand, Atletico de Kolkata’s counter-attacking style of play after the first few Goa chances paid dividends after Arata Izumi put one in at the 12th minute. The Japanese-born Indian footballer held on to a lovely cross from playmaker Javi Lara and slotted home a clinical goal to put the away team up by one.
FC Goa defender Debabrata Roy’s efforts against the city he grew up in went in vain as he failed to help Goa equalise, from two close chances in the 19th and 35th minutes. With the home team trailing at the break, Kolkata introduced Valdo at the beginning of the second half hoping to put the game beyond Goa, but it just did not seem like materialising. Kolkata looked strong defensively, slowed the game down, and kept tiring the Goa boys.
Sahni sees red
The game became decidedly fractious, when Kolkata’s Baljit Sahni lost his cool and received his marching orders. After a foul on Goa’s Gregory Arnolin, Sahni lost his bearings and in a rush of hot blood, head-butted the burly Frenchman. This immediately created an uproar with both sets of players crowding the referee who had no choice but to brandish Sahni with the red card. This gave Goa a new lease of life and allowed them to attack more and towards the closing stages of the game. Their tough work ethic eventually paid off with a scrappy build up from Mandar and Reinaldo, eventually coolly finished by Kennan Almeida with eight minutes to go.
In a scrappy last few minutes, with both teams trying to find a second goal, Goa came the closest, threatening continuously deep in Kolkata territory but failed to seal a come-from-behind victory against the current Indian Super League champions.
The game eventually ended in a stalemate, the fifth time an encounter between these two teams has resulted in a draw in regulation time (Kolkata defeated Goa on penalty shootouts in the semi-finals last year). One team though was noticeably happier than the other with the result ‒ Kolkata will believe they played well to pick up a point from this game with a man short, while Goa will surely feel they missed out on two more points, considering the numerical advantage they possessed. But given the nature and length of the tournament, the outing helped both teams settle in on their line ups and game styles for the upcoming set of games.
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Izumi slots it in
Goa pushed hard for an early goal with two chances in the 10th and 11th minute but lacked the accuracy to score that all-important first goal. On the other hand, Atletico de Kolkata’s counter-attacking style of play after the first few Goa chances paid dividends after Arata Izumi put one in at the 12th minute. The Japanese-born Indian footballer held on to a lovely cross from playmaker Javi Lara and slotted home a clinical goal to put the away team up by one.
FC Goa defender Debabrata Roy’s efforts against the city he grew up in went in vain as he failed to help Goa equalise, from two close chances in the 19th and 35th minutes. With the home team trailing at the break, Kolkata introduced Valdo at the beginning of the second half hoping to put the game beyond Goa, but it just did not seem like materialising. Kolkata looked strong defensively, slowed the game down, and kept tiring the Goa boys.
Sahni sees red
The game became decidedly fractious, when Kolkata’s Baljit Sahni lost his cool and received his marching orders. After a foul on Goa’s Gregory Arnolin, Sahni lost his bearings and in a rush of hot blood, head-butted the burly Frenchman. This immediately created an uproar with both sets of players crowding the referee who had no choice but to brandish Sahni with the red card. This gave Goa a new lease of life and allowed them to attack more and towards the closing stages of the game. Their tough work ethic eventually paid off with a scrappy build up from Mandar and Reinaldo, eventually coolly finished by Kennan Almeida with eight minutes to go.
In a scrappy last few minutes, with both teams trying to find a second goal, Goa came the closest, threatening continuously deep in Kolkata territory but failed to seal a come-from-behind victory against the current Indian Super League champions.
The game eventually ended in a stalemate, the fifth time an encounter between these two teams has resulted in a draw in regulation time (Kolkata defeated Goa on penalty shootouts in the semi-finals last year). One team though was noticeably happier than the other with the result ‒ Kolkata will believe they played well to pick up a point from this game with a man short, while Goa will surely feel they missed out on two more points, considering the numerical advantage they possessed. But given the nature and length of the tournament, the outing helped both teams settle in on their line ups and game styles for the upcoming set of games.