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FC Goa recorded back to back victories with a 2-1 win over Bengaluru FC tonight at the SAG Athletic Stadium in Bambolim in a game that saw both sides finish with 10 men on the pitch. Devendra Murgaokar came up with the winner for Juan Ferrando’s men as the Gaurs showed real grit to come out on top after playing with a man down for the majority of the second half.
Goa had gone ahead early thanks to an own goal but were pegged back late in the first half despite dominating much of the possession thanks to Cleiton Silva free-kick.
The game seemed to have tilted towards the Blues when Jorge Ortiz was shown a direct red early in the second half. But, it was the Men in Orange who had the last laugh thanks Murgaokar’s strike in the 70th minute whilst being a man down.
For the first time this season, Juan Ferrando named an unchanged XI, the coach putting faith in the line up that handed the Gaurs their first win of the season in their last game.
FC Goa started off on a real bright note as they looked to have finally found their groove in regards to both their passing and pressing. The dominant opening phase for the designated ‘home’ team was rewarded with a goal in the 16th minute.
Glan Martins did well to put Devendra Murgaokar through on goal courtesy of an accurate header. The forward did well to bear down on goal before unleashing a shot on target that forced Gurpreet Singh Sandhu into a low save. However, on the rebound, Jorge Ortiz’s presence was enough to force Ashique Kuruniyan into an unwarranted touch that gave Goa the lead.
Bengaluru FC nearly hit back immediately within a minute of conceding as Suresh Wangjam and Roshan Singh combined well on the right flank to open up the Goan defence and set up Sunil Chhetri in the middle. The Indian skipper, though, uncharacteristically blasted over from close range.
Whilst the Gaurs enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession in the following minutes, Juan Ferrando’s men failed to create any clear goalscoring opportunities. The lack of precision in the final third would come back to bite the hosts as Cleiton Silva fired home the equaliser in the 45th minute from a free kick which Dheeraj Singh, in the FC Goa goal seemed to have misjudged.
Bengaluru FC came out the brighter of the two sides following the shot in the arm provided by the late goal in the first forty-five. And the game tilted further in their favour in the 55th minute as Jorge Ortiz was sent off after the Spaniard reacted over aggressively to being tackled from behind by Suresh Wangjam.
The Gaurs, though, didn’t let the numerical disadvantage get to them as they fortified themselves in the middle of the pitch whilst looking to hit on the break. Their resolve was finally rewarded as a well-drawn out set-piece routine saw Ivan Gonzalez rise the highest and head the ball to an unmarked Devendra Murgaokar. The forward took one touch before dispatching the chance past the onrushing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Bengaluru FC threw the kitchen sink at Goa in the final minutes of the game, but lost their numerical advantage in the 84th minute when Suresh Wangjam was given the marching orders following a second yellow.
The Blues nearly got their coveted equaliser in the 87th minute when Sivasakthi Narayanan got himself at the end of a second ball. He, however, saw his effort brilliantly deflected away from target by the omnipresent Ivan Gonzalez.
The Gaurs were able to withstand the onslaught in the final minutes as some fierce last-ditch defending and brave goalkeeping helped the Gaurs carve out their second win in as many games.
The win, FC Goa’s second on the trot this season and over Bengaluru FC sees them move up to seventh on the table with six points from five games.
The loss, Bengaluru FC’s third on the trot sees them go down to 10th with just four points to show from their six games.
The Gaurs will be back in action on Saturday, December 18 when they take on high-flying Hyderabad FC. That game is slated for a 9:30pm kickoff.
