FULL-TIME: BENGALURU FC 2-1 FC GOA
90+3' Goa tries long balls from behind but is unable to trouble the Bengaluru defence. Jahouh takes a cut back from a short corner and goes for a stinging drive from the right but manages to hit it over the bar.
90' SAVE! Edu Bedia threatens immediately as he unleashes a dipping strike from outside the 18-yard box forcing a diving save from Gurpreet.
88' Substitution: Lenny Rodrigues is taken off for Len Doungel. Carlos Pena is taken off as Goa sends in Edu Bedia.
86' Another lapse of concentration from the Goa backlines allows Ashique to sprint unmarked and put Suresh through to the byline. Nawaz rushes off his line to narrow down the angle.
83' CHHETRI PUTS BENGALURU AHEAD! Goa loses the ball in the centre as Seriton and Mourtada fails to cover up. Ashique pokes the ball into Chhetri's path who has all the time and space to barge into the box and finish at the near post.
82' There is a bit of pushing and shoving around after Boumous pushes away Serran after trying to dribble away from a free kick. The referee steps in to calm down the situation.
81' Goa wins a corner kick as Brandon whips in dangerous ball into the box but Juanan makes an important headed clearance.
78' Substitution: Khabra is taken off for Suresh while substitute Onwu is taken off the pitch for Semboi Haokip. Semboi fails to clear a low cross from the left as Nishu mops up the loose ball. Almost gifted away a goal there.
76' Bengaluru wins a free kick on the right as Bheke's delivery falls far away from the cluster of navy blue in the box. Khabra tries to find Chhetri in the middle with a low cross from the right wing but Mourtada sticks his foot out to clear the danger.
72' Close! Jackichand brings down a long ball from the back and turns Nishu Kumar inside out. However, the winger smashes his shot into the sidenetting from a tight angle.
70' Nishu Kumar goes down on the edge of the box after coming under a challenge from Seriton, but the referee deems the challenge legitimate and Goa survives.
66' The game has sprung to life as chances come thick and fast at the both ends. Gurpreet scrambles to clear the ball from Mandar while Mourtada puts in a timely intervention to stop Ashique in his tracks on the wing.
63' Bengaluru coach Carles Cuadrat is booked by the referee for dissent as he claims the referee's foot was involved in Goa's build up to the goal.
61' GOA EQUALISES! Coro threads a pass from the edge of the box to put Boumous through to the goal. The Frenchman keeps his calm and finishes at the far corner to pull the visitor equal.
59' GOAL CHHETRI! Nishu Singh wins a corner for Bengaluru as Delgado whips in a pin-point delivery. Chhetri, unmarked inside the box, jumps high to put it past the keeper. Poor defending by the Gaurs.
57' Delgado clears the corner which falls for Chhetri who quickly turns around and hits towards Ashique waiting in the centre. Mandar intercepts the pass but Paartalu wins back the possession as Bengaluru come back again.
56' Close! Boumous finds Coro on the left side of the box as Rahul Bheke puts in a timely challenge to deflect it away for a Goa corner kick.
54' Delgado goes down easily in the centre after clashing with Brandon. Juanan is booked for remonstrating with the referee.
53' Jackichand tries to chase a long ball by Mourtada but the ball was out of his reach and Bheke does well to shield the ball for a Bengaluru goal kick.
51' Jackichand cuts in from the outside and has a go at the goal, but his shot lacks power and Gurpreet makes a comfortable save.
49' Nishu Singh wins a throw in for Bengaluru in a dangerous area as Ashique tries to curls a cross towards the back post but it was too wide for Paartalu.
48' Boumous wins a corner for Goa as Brandon's delivery is cleared by the Bengaluru defence. The spill over falls for Jahouh who tries to go for the long ranger but the ball sails over the crossbar.
47' Chhetri is furious after he is stopped in his track on the right by Seriton as the referee awards a free kick to Goa. Jahouh whips in a dangerous ball towards the far post but Gurpreet parries it away to safety.
46' Second half begins. Substitution: Udanta Singh is taken off by Carles Cuadrat as Manuel Onwu is sent on for Bengaluru FC.
HALF-TIME: BENGALURU FC 0-0 FC GOA
44' Brandon's floating ball puts Lenny through to the goal with just the goalkeeper to beat. But Gurpreet rushes off his line and takes the ball off the midfielder's feet. A big chance for Goa.
42' Boumous is brought down by Khabra in the centre. As Jahouh prepares to take the resultant free kick, Brandon goes down in the box, quite easily, after coming in contact with Bheke's elbow. The referee warns the Indian international for his theatrics.
39' Goa has failed to get a foothold in the midfield with two Bengaluru players marking Brandon, but chances have came at either ends with the host testing Nawaz on more than one occasion.
37' Boumous and Jahouh exchange passes in the centre, but the former is unable to dribble past Paartalu who hits it long for Udanta who loses the ball to Mandar.
35' SHOT! Bengaluru takes a corner short as Nishu unleashes a venomous strike from outside the box as Nawaz jumps low to make a save. Boumous goes on a solo run in between the Bengaluru centre-backs and pulls the trigger from outside the six-yard box but Gurpreet has it covered.
33' Rahul Bheke's throw-in from the right has the Goa defence scrambling to clear the ball after Nawaz jumps off his line for a failed punch to the ball. Serran pounces on the clearance but Pena slices the ball away just in time.
31' Brandon drifts wide on the right and tries to free up Jackichand but his pass is too heavy and Bengaluru regains possession.
29' Close! Brandon turns around Paartalu and plays it towards Boumous who puts Jackichand through to the goal. The winger, however, loses his balance as he approaches the ball and Bheke takes the ball off him for Gurpreet to collect the ball.
26' Boumous is flagged offside after the forward tries to sneak in from the right side as Coro curls the ball from the middle.
23' Both teams have moved the ball well in the final third, but Goa has the most of shot on the goal. Brandon goes for a header at the near post but clatters into Gurpreet who comes off is line.
21' Wide! Boumous gets into the box and pulls the trigger as Juanan blocks it. It falls for Coro whose shot is intercepted by Rahul Bheke for a Goa corner.
19' Brandon is finding it difficult to move the ball forward as he is being closely marked by Paartalu. The Indian midfielder is takes a heavy touch and harried off the ball by Paartalu. Delgado brings down Brandon near the centre as the referee awards Goa a free kick.
17' Udanta chases a long ball from behind and reaches the byline in no time as Carlos Pena pulls the forward back with a tug on his shoulder. However, the referee remains unmoved and Udanta, surprisingly, does not protest.
16' Ashique races away on the left wing and tries to cut a pass from the byline but Seriton does well to shield the ball for a Goa goal kick.
13' Seriton is flagged offside after he plays a one-two with Coro on the right. The full-back, however, looked on side when he received the pass. Rahul Bheke clips Brandon and is lucky to escape with a warning.
11' Save! Rahul Bheke receives the ball on the right and cuts in to curl a shot into the centre of the net. The ball dips ferociously but Nawaz gets his fingertips to deflect it over the crossbar.
10' Jackichand collects a tame clearance on the right and pulls the trigger. Nishu Singh comes up with a timely block to avert the danger.
8' The visitor breaks away as Seriton squares a pass towards the far post for Mandar, but the wing back messes up his first touch and Bengaluru clears the danger.
6' Goa has maintained its defensive shape in the opening exchanges, but the Bengaluru midfield is up to the task to prevent any runs forwards.
4' Goa builds patiently from the back as Mourtada tries to find Boumous on the right but Serran intercepts and relays it to Erik Paartalu who lifts the ball over the defence. Mourtada comes up with an acrobatic effort to clear the danger.
2' Sunil Chhetri and Seriton Fernandez clatter into each other as the Bengaluru skipper is seen clutching his knee. However, he is okay and the Gurpreet takes the host's free kick.
1' Here we go! Goa begins the proceedings from right to left. Boumous drifts inside on the right and sends a low cross towards Coro but Albert Serran hacks it away to safety.
- The players are out on the pitch for the Indian national anthem...
- Ahead of today's match, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera took to Twitter to express his frustration at the refereeing in the Chennaiyin FC match which saw the Spaniard suspended for the game against Bengaluru FC. Read his full statement here .
What's at stake?
Bengaluru FC needs a win to climb to second in the ISL table while table-topper FC Goa will look to maintain its top spot with 21 points from 10 games, three points above ATK.
Lineups
Listen to our review of Bengaluru FC's 0-1 defeat to ATK in the previous match.
Our correspondent Shreedutta Chidananda previews Friday's match in Bengaluru
Bengaluru FC will have to be at its best to stop table-topping FC Goa when the two teams meet at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Friday.
The defending champion has been struggling for goals this season, having netted only 11 times so far, and will be desperate to stop a Goa side that, in contrast, is leading the scoring charts (22). Part of the reason for that goal drought, BFC head coach Carles Cuadrat felt, was the absence of a fit overseas striker -- something other teams did not have to worry about. But the Spaniard was not unduly concerned. "I don't feel we are doing bad work," he said. "We are creating more chances per game than anyone else. It's just a matter of taking those chances."
Manuel Onwu, who has featured in only three matches this season due to injury, is yet to score. The Spaniard is fit to take part in Friday's game but new signing Deshorn Brown will only be ready for the clash against Jamshedpur FC on January 9.
Goa's possession-based, attacking football has a lot of admirers but Cuadrat felt some unpleasant aspects of the side's play had gone unnoticed. "I love the way Goa play. It's a wonderful team. It's very nice to watch any game of football that Goa play. But at the same time, they are clever, taking advantage of some situations that referees should punish. They have four players -- Seriton Fernandes, Mourtada Fall, Lenny Rodrigues and Ahmed Jahouh -- who a lot of times should get a second yellow card and be out of the game. But maybe because the referees don't understand those kinds of tricks -- which we as professionals can see very very clearly -- they keep playing and playing. They are doing things that are out of the rules but there is no punishment for that," he said.
Goa will miss Sergio Lobera on the touchline after the coach was sent off following his side's win over Chennaiyin FC. Cuadrat defended Lobera's actions -- the two are old friends from their time at FC Barcelona -- but he will have little sympathy for Goa on Friday.
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