Home team Odisha FC suffered a 2-4 loss at the hands of table-topper FC Goa in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
A brace from hero-of-the-match Jackichand Singh, a Vinit Rai own goal and a 90th-minute finish from Ferran Corominas helped the visitor reach the summit of the 2019-20 ISL standings. On the other hand, Manuel Onwu impressed on his Odisha debut.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS | Goa goes top of ISL standings with 4-2 win over Odisha
Here are the important talking points from the clash:
- REFEREEING DEBACLE CONTINUES -
The struggle of Indian referees in the ISL took centre stage yet again as a string of wrong decisions went against Odisha on Wednesday night. Goa's second goal, which was scored by Jackichand, should have been ruled offside as Corominas was blocking goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro's view the entire time.
Debutant Onwu then found the back of the net for Odisha from close range. Much to the host's frustration, the goal was disallowed after the linesman lifted his flag for offside. But replays clearly showed that Onwu had scored a completely legal one. There was another Mourtada Fall handball which went unnoticed in the first forty-five minutes.
All these howlers have triggered the debate over the authenticity of this edition's referees once again.
- ONWU AND JACKICHAND IMPRESS -
Both Onwu and Jackichand bagged a double each in the match. Onwu, representing Odisha for the first time, should have completed a hattrick, if not for a poor call from the linesman. However, the Spanish forward almost brought his side back into the game with his exploits upfront.
Meanwhile, Jackichand, who is known for assisting his teammates, led Goa from the front on this occasion. His two first-half goals gave his team enough cushion to fight off a late surge from the opposition.
Last but not the least, Corominas finally claimed his 50th goal in all competitions for FC Goa after failing to find the back of the net in his side's last two matches against ATK and Kerala Blasters.
- THE FIGHT AT THE TOP REMAINS TIGHT -
With this win, Goa moved to the top of the ISL points table with 30 points from 15 games. Every team that has breached the 30-point mark in ISL history has made the playoff.
ATK, however, sits second with 27 points from 14 outings. The game in hand for the team from Kolkata is against Jamshedpur on Sunday.
Third-placed Bengaluru FC has picked up 25 points from 14 matches and has an encounter against Hyderabad FC on Thursday to go this round.
Odisha FC stays at fourth with 21 points but has played a game more than fifth-placed Mumbai City FC (20 points) and two more than sixth-placed Chennaiyin FC (18 points). The fight for the top-four spots heats up much more with this result.
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