Goa FC snatch draw against 10 man Atlético de Kolkata

FC Goa started the match on the front foot and looked the more threatening of the two teams. But, it was Atletico de Kolkata who took the lead against the run of play, with Arata Izumi adding to the list of wonder-goals we have seen so far in the tournament.

The Japanese born Indian midfielder thumped the ball into the top corner with a thundering side-foot volley, after Javi Lara popped up on the right wing and picked him out with a long cross – not a bad way to announce his arrival!

The goal gave Atletico something to hold onto, and they dropped deep into their own half to defend the lead. This allowed Goa to have most of the possession, but the home side failed to create any real opening.

Romeo Fernades, Leo Moura, Reinaldo, and even Lucio tried his luck from distance, but none of their efforts troubled Amrinder Singh at the Kolkata goal. It fact, it was the visitors who once again came close to scoring another goal, only for Izumi to squander the chance. The 33-year-old should have picked out Gavilan, instead of going for the shot himself, but one can not blame him for being a bit too confident after that earlier effort.

Atletico de Kolkata made a change at the start of the second half with Valdo replacing Spanish midfielder, Javi Lara. Hume dropped deep into the role of the play-maker, while Valdo played as the lone striker upfront.

Goa came close to finding an equalizer, right after the restart, with Lucio hitting the post from a header. Jofre picked out the Brazilian with a free-kick from the left wing, but Lucio watched on in agony as his header was kept out by the far side of the post.

The biggest talking point of the match came in the 62nd minute, when Baljit Sahni and Gregory Arnolin got involved in an altercation. The Frenchman put in a crunching challenge on Sahni, who retaliated with a tackle of his own. The referee stopped play and booked Sahni with a yellow card.

The fracas did not stop there as Arnolin riled up Sahni and the Atletico forward took the bait. In an ugly moment, Sahni head-butted the Goa defender and got a red card for his trouble. This turned out to be the turning point of the game in the end as 10-man Atletico eventually crumbled to the pressure from the men in blue.

In the 81st minute of the match, Reinaldo set-up Keenan Almeida with a lovely cushion header and the 23-year-old thrashed it home with right-footed striker. That goal lifted the roof off the stadium, and Goa deserved it for all their dominance.

Atletico somehow managed to hold on to the draw in the end and Antonio Habas will be pleased with his team’s defensive effort. The suspension of Baljit Sahni will, however, provide a selection headache for the manager in their next game against Kerala Blasters.

Zico and his men will leave the pitch frustrated, as they failed to score the number of goals they should have, after the dominating so much of the match. His team definitely needs to work on a Plan B, especially when they face opponents who are so organized defensively.