ISL 2015 semi-final: Delhi win first leg thanks to Robin Singh strike against Goa
The Dynamos were the better team, but should have won by a bigger margin.
9.06 pm: That's it from here. Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC clash tomorrow at Pune in what is another mouth-watering encounter. Be sure not to miss that!
9.02 pm: Both Delhi and Goa kicked off cagily with both the teams enjoying their fair chances. However, Delhi took the lead and shackled Goa with some impressive defending. Delhi had their chances but were wasteful, before Robin Singh scored just on the stroke of half-time.
The second half was far more open. Delhi had a range of chances and really should have extended their lead. To give them credit, they defended well and did not let Goa into the match. Carlos decided to shut shop at the end preferring to conceded the game 1-0 and go back home to mount a fresh challenge.
8.54 pm: Stats back it up, Delhi comfortably the better side. 57% possession and 16 shots on target.
8.52 pm: Goa never got going, couldn't capitalise on the few chances and then shut shop at the end. They will fancy themselves in the return leg though.
8.51 pm: Delhi were excellent in defence and brilliant in field. But they will rue that their finishing was not up to the mark.
8.51 pm: And it's over! Delhi will go into Goa with a 1-0 advantage on Tuesday! That's Delhi's first ever victory against Goa!
8.48 pm: Riise smashes a free kick from just ahead of the half-way line. Good shot, plenty of power but goes above the post.
8.47 pm: Hero Man of the Match goes to Santos of Delhi. Well-deserved and he should have got a goal.
8.47 pm: Four minutes to be added on. Plenty of time to rip up the script for Goa.
8.43 pm: WHAT IS GOING ON? Now it's Goa's Leo Moura turn to miss a sitter. Skies a incredible chance. Both teams have been so off with their attacking prowess tonight.
8.42 pm: Gadze misses again for Delhi. Went for glory but was miles beyond.!
8.41 pm: Free header to Rafael...but he misses...and the flag was up! Wouldn't have counted.
8.40 pm: WHAT A SAVE! Santos, you beauty...great run, excellent shot. But an incredible save from Kattimani denies him.
8.39 pm: The game seems to have petered out. Both teams look to be happy with the current score-line. Delhi will be happy but they will know that they were incredibly wasteful tonight.
8.36 pm: Agrim sums it up pretty well...
8.32 pm: Sabeeth goes off to be replaced by Bikramjit, the extra defender. Does that mean Zico is happy to go to Goa trailing 1-0?
8.31 pm: WHAT A SAVE FROM DOBLAS! Shows expert reflexes to deny Moura.
8.30 pm: Delhi should have been 3-0 up. Goa must make them pay.
8.29 pm: ANOTHER MISS FROM DELHI! Mama from the left expertly lays it to Malouda. The experienced French-man swivels but hits the side-netting!
8.28 pm: Adil Nabi is predictably substituted off and Hans Mulder takes his place to beef up the Delhi defence.
8.27 pm: Twenty minutes left, another counter from Delhi but Nabi gets the pass horribly wrong and hands it straight to the keeper.
8.26 pm: Free kick in a lovely position but Chicao puts it beyond. Should have let Riise take it.
8.25 pm: Malouda goes down. Moura is booked for a sliding tackle. Angry argument with ref ensues but that was a clear yellow.
8.24 pm: Then there's Liverpool icon Riise. At 35, the man is still exceptional. He's pulled off so many vital blocks to deny Goa this game.
8.23 pm: Doblas, Delhi's man between the posts, has been under-rated so far. Played a confident game so far.
8.21 pm: Reinaldo comes off. It hasn't been the best of nights for Goa's highest scorer. Carlos will be delighted that they have managed to neutralise him.
8.20 pm: Far more physical game now. Both the teams not going easy on the fouls.
8.18 PM: THAT'S A SITTER! Brilliant counter from Chicao and Santos. Shylo just needed to aim and shoot properly. He makes a complete mess of it. Delhi are still 1-0.
8.15 pm: Now Reinaldo gets his name in the book. First yellow card for FC Goa.
8.13 pm: Ok, what's happening here. Doblas is rolling around on the sidelines. Reinaldo came in to get the ball but the keeper got a rough touch. No yellow card.
8.08 pm: Chicao brings down Joffre. Delhi already have two yellows, they have to be a little more disciplined.
8.07 pm: SO CLOSE! Santos, what a run! Skips past defenders, enters the box, gives it to Adil Nabi. Nabi takes too much time, swivels, but misses the goal by an inch.
8.06 pm: Goa have come out all guns blazing.
8.01 pm: Interesting stat by the commentators as the match kicks off for the second half. 46 goals by Indian players so far. That's a nice statistic.
7.56 pm: Before Delhi supporters become complacent, good to remind them that in the dress rehearsal to this semi-final a few days back, Delhi went into half-time with a two goal. Goa roared back to win 3-2,
7.47 pm: Delhi have played like a well-oiled machine and richly deserved that goal. They were wasteful early on but finally Robin Singh got his head in the way off a perfect cross. Goa started off well and had some chances, but lost their way later. Carlos will be very happy - the team has possession and should have got more. Zico will need to do some work in the changeover.
7.46 pm: And that's half-time! Delhi will go off the much happier side.
7.45 pm: That's Robin's fourth game in 12 games, as one extra minute is added.
7.41 pm: DELHI SCORE! It's Robin Singh! Just after Santos missed one, Chicao puts in a beautiful cross. This time, Robin Singh makes no mistaking, making perfect contact with the side of his head and he shoots off to celebrate! Great goal! Delhi deserves this!
7.36 pm: One good thing to see has been that the game has been largely even-tempered so far. No blatantly pathetic tackles or pushes. Good job, ref.
7.34 pm: This is bad for Goa. Gaekwad goes out after going down for an injury. Romeo Fernandes comes in.
7.33 pm: Malouda has been very impressive. Only a matter of time now.
7.30 pm: Delhi look the better side now. Passing it around, linking it up and keeping possession.
7.28 pm: Malouda went really close there but Goa defended bravely and couldn't capitalise on the counter.
7.24 pm: Robin Singh got too ambitious there and tried to play a difficult shot from his chest. It went beyond again. Delhi can't be so wasteful.
7.22 pm: Delhi have stepped up but they're wasting it away. Some lovely build-up play but shooting from way out and predictably missing.
7.19 pm: Robin Singh enters the box with a burst of pace but hits it straight to the keeper.
7.18 pm: Delhi look content to soak up Goa's attacks and hit on the counter. It could get dangerous. Goa have the attack to break free.
7.16 PM: Confrontation off the ball. Riise goes down but Gregory doesn't seem to have even done anything! You can't do that...so blatantly that too...
7.14 pm: First yellow card of the night. Delhi's Robert rises and catches a Goa's Gaikwad right in the chest with a raised foot. The referee really didn't have a choice there. Carlos won't be happy at the yellow card so early in the game.
7.11 pm: Joffre cuts in again, and puts in an amazing cross. Sabeeth had a free header but he put it over the top.
7.07 pm: Joffre curls one in, but Delhi keeper Doblas mops it up easily.
7.07 pm: Goa have threatened in the early exchanges but Delhi have had the chances.
7.06 pm: Another chance for Delhi. Mama cuts in from the left but only hits the side-netting.
7.04 pm: First attack from Delhi. Counter-attack from Santos, laid off to Malouda who takes it with his left foot. Unfortunately, the ball sails over goal.
7.03 pm: Delhi have started off in their usual way, bringing down players. Both Gregory and Joffre have gone down. The referee is not impressed.
7.02 pm: Scrappy first two minutes. Both Leo Moura and John Arne Riise have had a touch. Mostly midfield battles.
7.00 pm: Right, we're off. Big game, big match, big players. Let's Football.
6.56 pm: You can really tell the amount of pollution in Delhi looking at the amount of smog at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium!
6.55 pm: Five minutes to go and the teams are coming out for their national anthem.
6.45 pm: All right, only 15 more minutes to go for the kick-off. In case, you don't know how the semi-final format works, a recap: the semi-finals will be played over two legs. The team which finished with the higher ranking will play the second leg at home. Hence Goa (1st) and Kolkata (2nd) will play their respective second legs at home.
6.42 pm: In other news, Roberto Carlos, Delhi's icon manager, has revealed that he will not be back next season. Can he sign off in style?
6.38 pm: Goa will be boosted by the return of Leo Moura from suspension who has been one of their key players this season.
6.35 pm: Goa starting XI: Laxmikant Kattimani (GK), Pronay Halder, Lucio (C), Arnolin Gregory, Raju Gaikwad, Leo Moura, Joffre, Jonatan Lucca, Narayan Das, C S Sabeeth, Reinaldo
6.34 pm: Delhi starting XI: Toni Doblas (GK), Sehnaj, Anas Edathodika, John Arne Riise, Robert, Dos Santos, Florent Malouda, Anderson Chicao (C), Mama, Adil Nabi, Robin Singh.
6.25 pm: Goa on the other hand have scored the highest number of goals this season: 29. These have involved a 7-0 thrashing of Mumbai and a 5-1 demolition of Kerala. Their striker Reinaldo has been in fine form with seven goals so far, third on the list.
6.21 pm: Delhi have reached this stage by being stingy but they have lost their way in the last few games. None of their players are in the top five goal-scorers list. They have also scored the second-least number of goals this season.
6.15 pm: Delhi will play at home today and they face a stern test. Zico's FC Goa have been impressive throughout the league and deserved to finish first. The teams played each other a few days ago in an exciting match where the Dynamos squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2.
Preview: Welcome to the live-blog of the first leg of the first semi-final of the Indian Super League. Toppers FC Goa face off against fourth-placed Delhi Dynamos in the first leg. Still an hour left to go before kick-off at 7 pm.