AFC Champions League Highlights FC Goa vs Al Wahda: Dheeraj, Seriton's heroics allows the Gaurs to secure two points from two games as match finishes 0-0

AFC Champions League 2021: FC Goa vs Al Wahda: Ferrando's men with another inspirational performance as FC Goa holds Al Wahda to a 0-0 draw

Updated : Apr 17, 2021 23:47 IST

Devendra Murgaonkar (No 29) made some lovely runs into Al Wahda's box after replacing Pandita in the second half.
Devendra Murgaonkar (No 29) made some lovely runs into Al Wahda's box after replacing Pandita in the second half.
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Devendra Murgaonkar (No 29) made some lovely runs into Al Wahda's box after replacing Pandita in the second half.

Read Sportstar's match blog of the 2020-21 AFC Champions League Group E fixture between FC Goa and Al Wahda at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday

Thats all for today. Thanks for tuning in!!!

MATCH REPORT| AFC Champions League: FC Goa play out second consecutive draw, hold Al Wahda of UAE 0-0

It was another inspirational performance by Juan Ferrando's FC Goa as disciplined defending helped the team to secure another point from its game against Al Wahda. Unlike the first game, Goa did its share of attacking especially on the break as Devendra Murgaonkar made some lovely runs throughout the match. Brandon Fernandes came the closest to scoring as his shot cannoned off the crossbar. The Gaurs will face their toughest challenge yet when they face Persepolis FC in the next Group E match.

Henk ten Cate will not be a happy manager as his side, despite dominating the match overall, has nothing to show for it at the end of 90 minutes. After a defeat against Persepolis FC in its first match, a win today would have done Al Wahda loads of good. They next face Al Rayyan, which would again not be an easy outing.

FULL-TIME!!!!!

90+3' SAVE!!!!! Its Dheeraj with a magnificent close-range save once again. A big contribution from the goalie to keep the scores level.

90+2' Al Wahda pouring in its men as it desperately tries to score the all-important goal for the precious three points.

FOUR MINUTES ADDED!!!

90' SERITON AGAIN!!! Fernandes again with a last-ditch tackle, which does not allow Omar to pounce on the rebound after Dheeraj parried away Matavz's shot. What a tournament he is having.

89' BOOKING!! Mansoor Al-Harbi receives a yellow card for his crunching tackle on Glan Martins..

86' FC Goa defender Glan Martins down with a knock as he receives treatment. 

83' CHANGE!! Adil Khan comes in for Sanson Pereira

81' SHOT!!! Faras Juma gives away the ball, which was pounced on by Ortiz. After a brilliant run he takes a shot from the edge of the box but the shot lacked power and Al Shamsi gathered it easily.

78' Devendra with an exquisite run once again but his squared ball is deflected behind Saviour Gama. He collects the ball and gives it to Glan Martins who takes a shot but it is agonisingly above the bar.

76' FOUL!!! Omar with a lovely penetrative run and quick feet, which invites a challenge and he is fouled near the Goa box. Matar ponders over the ball and finally shoots in the top-left corner but Dheeraj with a comfortable save at the end.

74' BOOKING!! Edu Bedia goes into the referee's book this time. 

72' FC Goa enjoying a lot of possession in Wahda's half in start contrast to the first-half. Ferrando's men applying prolonged periods of pressure in and around their opponent's box.

68' GREAT RUN!! Devendra Murgaonkar with a great solo run into the Wahda penalty box as he pokes a ball at the far end after being pressurised by Wahda defenders. However, there were no Goa players to capitalise on the loose ball.

65' CHANGE!! Saviour Gama comes in for Romario

63' GREAT CHALLENGE!! Seriton shines again as his last-ditch tackle on Matavz does not allow him to take the shot at Dheeraj.

61' BOOKING!! Romario shown a yellow card by the referee.

60' BOOKING!! Abdullah Al Karbi goes into the book this time.

59' CHANCE FOR OMAR!!! A beautiful ball from the right flank by Khalil found Kharbin unmarked. Kharbin headed the ball with considerable power but Dheeraj was at the right place at the right time as he clutched the ball safely.

56' BOOKING!! Ivan Gonzalez goes into the referee's book. 

54' HUGE CHANCE FOR FC GOA!!! After Ortiz couldn't make contact with the ball as it was squared to him by Devendra, Shamsi kicked the ball away but it was loose as Brandon Fernandes picked it up and bulleted the ball to Shamsi's right. He hits the woodwork.

52' CHANGE!!! Devendra Murgaonkar comes on for Pandita . Interesting change as it is not a like for like one. A defender comes on for a striker.

50' FOUL!!! Abdullah tries to go past Sanson but his nudge on the Goa player is deemed too hard by the referee.

47' FC Goa starting the second-half on a positive note. Ortiz breaks clear and tries to curl one from the edge of Al Wahda's box but takes too much time.

SECOND-HALF UNDERWAY!!!

Al Wahda will feel unfortunate in losing Abdullah Hamad so early in the game to a head injury but the UAE team cannot be blamed for the lack of trying. Often inviting the irk of coach Henk ten Cate for complicating proceedings, it is undoubtedly the away team, which has dominated the ball as well as the play at the end of the first 45 minutes.

On a broad spectrum, it is Déjà vu for FC Goa right now because this is exactly what happened against Al Rayyan in its previous match. A solid defensive at the back but not clinical enough at the front. Despite looking more confident than last match, Ferrando's men has not been able to make too much when they have received the ball in promising positions.

HALF-TIME!!!!

45+3' Matavz with a half-chance. After getting the ball in a crowded Goa box, he shot at goal on the turn but too many bodies in between for the ball to reach Dheeraj.

45+2' FC Goa looking to pose a threat late in the first half with a break but the move breaks down due to a misplaced pass. Inaccuracy has been a constant enemy to Goa in this first half.

FOUR ADDED MINUTES!!!

42' OFFSIDE!! A quickly taken free kick allowed Al Wahda to break. It was four Wahda players against two Goa players. Khalil managed to take a shot, which Dheeraj saved. In the end the offside whistle made it all a bit anti-climactic.

38' END TO END FOOTBALL!!! After Khalil's shot at goal was blocked, it set off Seriton on a Goa counter. However, his attempted cross to Pandita from the right flank lacked accuracy and Al Shamsi collects the ball easily.

37' FOUL!! This time its Glan Martins' challenge on Ismail Matar. Matar kept the ball well as Martins tried to take it off him and ended up trying too hard.

33' FOUL!! Matavz invited Seriton to challenge him by putting his body between him and the ball. Seriton takes the bait and ends up fouling Matavz.

29' Ferrando has evidently instructed his team to play out from the back and maintain a rhythm to their play. But Goa is currently lacking the accuracy and the crisp play required to execute that rhythmic play.

27' Ferrando's men are completely pegged into its own half right now. Wahda maintaining its shape efficiently, which is allowing it to win all the second balls and keep the pressure intact on the home team.

23' CHANCE!!! Fares Juma was left unmarked in an Al Wahda corner but the header was a weak one and straight at Dheeraj. He collects it safely.

19' Both goalkeepers having to make saves in a matter of seconds. Pressure from Goa made Wahda play a loose ball but Wahda goalkeeper Al Shamsi anticipated the loose ball and cleared it, which set Matar away. Dheeraj however, kept his calm and made himself big.

14' Al Wahda enjoying the lion's share of the possession during the early stages of the match.

CHANGE!!! Hamad is carried off the field. Mansoor Al-Harbi replaces him.

INJURY!!! Glan Martins and Abdulla Hamad clash as both players attempted to go for the ball. Hamad has come off worse and now, the injury seems quite serious and a change will be made.

8' FC Goa much more confident going forward compared to its last game against Al Rayyan. Goa gets its first corner.

6' CHANCE!!!!! Dheeraj with a scuffed clearance, which Matar tried to pounce on but he was challenged by Donachie. Possible penalty shout but the referee waves it off.

4' Prolonged pressure by Al Wahda in and around FC Goa's box but the end product was not satisfactory as the ball goes out of play for a goalkick.

2' EARLY CHANCE!!! A positive start from FC Goa. A lovely in swinging cross from Ortiz from the left flank, which finds Ishan Pandita's head but he cannot control it and it goes well above Al Wahda's goal.

1' KICK-OFF!!!!

8:00pm- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!!!

7:45pm- 15 minutes to Kick-off!!!

7pm: TEAM NEWS!

FC Goa: Dheeraj Singh (GK), Seriton Fernandes, Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie, Sanson Pereira, Glan Martins, Edu Bedia (C), Alexander Romario, Brandon Fernandes, Jorge Ortiz, Ishan Pandita

Coach: Juan Ferrando

Al Wahda: Al Shamsi (GK), Ahmed, Fares Juma, Pimenta, Al Kurbi, Lee, A. Hamad, Matar (C), O. Kharbin, Khalil, Matavz

Coach: Henk ten Cate

Preview

After putting up a phenomenal display to earn a gritty draw with Al Rayyan, FC Goa will take on UAE's Al Wahda in its second AFC Champions League group E game on Saturday.

A strong performance against Al Rayyan will give the Gaurs a massive boost of confidence heading into the game against Al Wahda.

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Al Wahda comes into the game on the back of a 1-0 loss to Iranian side Persepolis FC in its opening outing in the AFC Champions League and will be eager to make amends. The side is coached by former Ajax head coach Henk ten Cate, who has earlier worked with Chelsea and FC Barcelona.

- Need to improve -

Despite his side employing a watertight defensive performance against Al Rayyan, FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando said there are areas his side needs to work on in order to progress in the competition.

“We need to improve in attack and our focus is always on the next game. We cannot think of the Al Rayyan game anymore,” he said.

“I know the coach and the attacking style of Al Wahda and they are a very dangerous team. We need to control them in many areas of the pitch to stop them and we will also try to keep the ball as much as possible,” he added.

RELATED|  AFC Champions League: Debutant FC Goa holds Al Rayyan to goalless draw

When it comes to attacking, FC Goa’s threat lies in the technical brilliance of Jorge Ortiz, who showed flashes of his class against Al Rayyan, and the tireless Ishan Pandita, who made his first start for the Gaurs. Glan Martins also enjoyed a brilliant game.

When it comes to Al Wahda, the key man is Slovenian striker Tim Matavz, who is the club's top scorer this season with nine goals in 23 games.

Additionally, national team captain Ismail Matar leads the way for Al Wahda when it comes to most assists for the club this season, with nine to this name.

RELATED|  FC Goa's draw against Al Rayyan a 'good moment for Indian football', says coach Ferrando

The Emirati club has played 12 times in the AFC Champions League, with its longest stay in the competition coming in 2007, when it reached the semifinal.

Al Wahda- An overview

The club was formed in 1984 in Abu Dhabi when the two clubs, Abu Dhabi SC and Al-Emirates SC merged to form one club.

The team plays in the UAE Pro League and was unbeaten in seven AFC Champions League games before its defeat to Persepolis FC on Wednesday.

The club has four Pro League titles, the last of which came in the 2009-10 season along with winning two President's Cups, three Federation Cups and 2 UAE League Cups.

Managed by Dutchman Henk Ten Cate who was European experience under his belt at Barcelona, Chelsea and Ajax at different capacities, his team is currently eighth in the UAE Pro League table with 35 points from 23 games.

Key Players: Khalil Ibrahim Al-Hammadi, Tim Matavz, Ismail Matar, Omar Khribin

FC Goa's full squad for the AFC Champions League

Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem

Defenders: Sanson Pereira, Seriton Fernandes, Leander D'Cunha, Ivan Gonzalez (Spain), Mohamed Ali, James Donachie (Australia), Aibanbha Dohling, Saviour Gama, Adil Khan

Midfielders: Edu Bedia (Spain), Glan Martins, Princeton Rebello, Brandon Fernandes, Phrangki Buam, Redeem Tlang, Makan Winkle Chothe, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Romeo Fernandes

Forwards: Jorge Ortiz (Spain), Devendra Murgaonkar, Ishan Pandita.

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