FULL TIME FC Goa might have played for most of the second half with ten men but the team dug in and found the equaliser twice — at the end of each half. Kerala was on top for most of the match, with the crowd behind it. But Goa held on, soaked in the pressure got the goals when it matterd. Schattorie storms off the pitch and Lobera, finally, has a satisfied look on his face.
90' + 7' A free kick on the right is whipped in by Brandon and his delivery is sent wide by Pena.
90' + 3' Lenny finds the equaliser in stoppage time for Goa! Rehnesh should've tried to hold onto the ball. But he chose to try and get the team on an unnecessary attack. Goa wins the ball, falls to Manvir Singh. He evades his marker and his shot is saved by the keeper. The rebound though fell to Lenny who made no mistake. The team celebrates like it won the title, to boos from the home side.
90' Five minutes added at the end of the second half.
88 ' Messi puts the ball into the net and wheels away in celebration before the referee pulls the play back for an offside. The crowd took time to realise the offside decidion and a fan runs onto the ground and hugs Messi in celebration.
85 ' Ouch. Drobarov is taken off on a stretcher. Doesn't look good. And in the meantime, Sergio Lobera picks up a yellow card.
83 ' SUBSTITUTION. FC Goa make its second change. Princeton Rebello replaces Edu Bedia.
81' Jackichand beats the defenders, moves towards the 18-yard box and takes a shot which is deflected off a Kerala Blasters FC defender into the hands of the keeper.
80' Ten minutes, plus added time, left for Kerala Blasters to wrap up the three points. Can 10-men FC Goa get an equaliser?
80 ' Excellent move from Kerala. Cido releases Seityasen down the right and his low pass across the box falls to Ogbeche whose effort is just wide of the post.
76 ' It's not just the players who are going toe-to-toe. Both Lobera and Schattorie ecchange a few words from their respective technical areas.
75 ' Brandon is caught on the left flank by Drobarov. The FC Goa playmaker is probably the most fouled player on the pitch today. The freekick is put out for a corner by skipper Ogbeche.
74 ' SUBSTITUTION. Sahal is replaced by Narzary.
68 ' Minutes after comnig on, Seityasen Singh makes his mark. His shot from outside the box is bending into the right corner but Mohammad Nawaz dives and pushes it out for the corner. Good effort, even better save.
66 ' Ogbeche gets his header wide in the box! The cross comes in and he is unmarked, with all the time in the world. He could have controlled the ball, taken his time and picked his corner but goes for a first time header and it goes well wide. Schattorie sits down on the ground after that unbelievable miss.
64 ' SUBSTITUTION. Saviour Gama is replaced by Mohamed Ali for FC Goa.
64 ' SUBSTITUTION. Seityasen replaces Prashant for Kerala Blasters.
59 ' Less than five minutes after going down to ten men, FC Goa conceded. Messi gets his goal and Kerala Blasters is ahead once again. Prasanth Karuthadathkuni rushed in from the left flank and put a low cross to Messi in front of the goal. He slid forward and puts the ball into the back of the net with his calf. It doesn't matter how it went it as the home fans go bonkers.
55 ' Jessel takes the resuting freekick but the effort saild well over.
53 ' FC GOA down to ten men a Mourtada Fall sees red! Ogbeche was through on goal but Fall puts in a tackle from behind and brings him down. Not a difficult call for the referee. The defender and Lobera both disagree but that was a clear red card. Most of the half left for Goa to play against Kerala. And the home crowd has found its voice again.
51 ' Saviour Gama makes the run into the box and his shot goes into the side netting.
48 ' Both teams have exchanges possession in the opening minutes of the second half. It hasn't been the same frantic start we saw 45 minutes ago as both teams aren't willing to go all out in attack.
HALF TIME Both teams go into the break level on goals. The late equaliser from Fall means both managers will be giving a different team talk than the one they had in mind for most of the first half.
45' + 1' Ogbeche lets one loose from outside the box and a Mohammad Nawaz pushes it out for a corner.
45' + 1' Brandon gets the game's second yellow card for a tackle on Rehenesh.
45' One minute added at the end of the half.
42 ' Mourtada Fall gets the equaliser for FC Goa! Edu Bedia took the free kick and his effort is pushed to the right by a diving Rehenesh. The ball fell to Jackichand Singh whose crosses is met by Fall. The ball is in the back of the net and the travelling fans finally find their voice.
40' Vlatko Drobarov gets the first yellow card of the game for an off-the-ball challenge on Manvir Singh. Silly challenge from the Macedonian.
38 ' A long ball to Salah is well cushioned to Ogbeche and the latter's cross doesn't meet the onrushing Messi thanks to the pressure Gama put on him. That was so so close to a second goal.
34 ' Saviour Gama is making his first start of the season today and he puts in an excellent tackle to stop a Kerala attack. That tackle was so good that Schattorie throws his water bottle to the ground in frustration.
30' The opening 30 minutes have been mostly frustrating for FC Goa, despite having 55% of the possession. The pressing from Kerala Blasters players has been top-notch and the visiting side hasn't been allowed to play the way likes to.
27' Saviour Gama joins the attack and gets in a delicious cross to Brandon. He doesn't get the connection he wanted and a fantastic chance goes begging.
26 ' Cido lines up a shot from just outside the box but that shot was rising too much to trouble the keeper.
24 ' Messi is set up witha good ball. He runs into the box but the ball flies wide, off his left foot.
23' Jessel Carneiro blocks a cross inside the box, gets to the rebound and almost turns it into a counter-attack. Almost!
21' Sahal's energy is contagious. He chases down Goa's players vigorously and that prompts his teammates to do the same. And they manage to win the ball! That is what Schattorie wants from him and he liked what he saw there.
19 ' Ogbeche tees up Messi down the right and Kerala wins another corner off Saviour Gama. Nothing comes off it though.
18 ' Brandon with a beautiful ball through to Mandar but Rehnesh is off line in a flash and gathers it.
16 ' And now FC Goa has a corner. Rehnesh comes out and catches it comfortably. Considering Goa scored the most goals (19) from crosses since last season, that was a poor delivery.
14 ' Manvir Singh is caught offside again. The communication in the Kerala defence is exceptional today and Manvir's eagerness isn't helping either.
13 ' Saviour Gama intercepts a low cross and it goes out for the first corner of the game. They try something out of the training ground. The cross finally comes in but evades everyone in the box.
11' Ogbeche steals the ball from Mandar inside the Goan box and Messi's tame side foot shot is easliy blocked. Fall the player who made the block.
5' The stadium is absolutely buzzing thanks to that goal and it seems to be having an effect on the Goan players. The usual slick passes aren't coming through and as I type this the home defence does very well to catch Manvir Singh offside.
2' GOAL! KERALA BLASTES TAKES THE LEAD. Sergio Cidoncha gets the goal just 61 seconds into the game. Eelco Schattorie said his team doesn't like to play long balls but said nothing about long throws. The Goan defenders make a mess while trying to clear the ball and Cido reacts first, whacking in low to Rehenesh's right.
2' Miss kick from Mohammad Nawaz straight away as he tries to play out the back. Good press from the Kerala forwards.
1' FC Goa gets the game underway to a huge roar from the crowd.
— A packed stadium greets both the teams onto the pitch. The anthems and toss is done. We are minutes away from kickoff.
— Kerala Blasters has not managed a win against FC Goa since Sergio Lobera took over the Goan club. Will today be the day Kerala gets that all-important win?
The good news for Kerala is that it will not have to worry about dealing with Coro today. The bad news is the Goa has enough quality to cover for his absence.
TEAM NEWS
FC GOA: Mohammad Nawaz (GK), Carlos Pena, Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama, Mourtada Fall, Mandar Rao Dessai (C), Lenny Rodrigues, Edu Bedia, Jackichand Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Manvir Singh
KERALA BLASTERS: TP Rehenesh (GK), Raju Gaikwad, Mohamad Rakip, Jessel Carneiro, Vlatko Drobarov, Sergio Cidoncha, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Bartholomew Ogbeche (C), Messi Bouli
Match Preview
Clinching three points will be the top priority for struggling Kerala Blasters when it takes on FC Goa in the ISL here on Sunday.
Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie will hope to put an end to his team’s woes. It is winless in four games and the only victory this season came against ATK on the opening day.
Schattorie has also lost several key players to injury, especially in the defence. Midfielder Mario Arques is yet to start a match for Blasters since arriving here and has only recently returned to training following an injury layoff.
Sandesh Jhingan and Jairo Rodriguez had to be replaced due to injuries and the latter’s replacement, Macedonian Vlatko Drobarov, remains an unknown quantity to the faithful.
Sergio Lobera’s FC Goa has not hit peak form yet. It has just one clean sheet so far — against Chennayin FC in its first game of the season.
FC Goa has not been able to find the right balance due to a mix of injuries and suspensions and lacks a heavy punch without Ferran Corominas leading the line.
The match will be live on Star Sports network and streaming on Hotstar, kick-off at 7.30 pm (IST).
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