This is Sportstar's match blog/highlights of the ISL 2020-21 encounter between Kerala Blasters FC and FC Goa on Saturday.
That is all we have for tonight. We will be back tomorrow with a double-header because it's Super Sunday. Jamshedpur FC will take on Hyderabad FC in the evening game. [ MATCH 69 PREVIEW ] Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC will square off against Odisha FC in the night match. [ MATCH 70 PREVIEW ] Until then, it's good night.
MATCH REPORT |
Kerala Blasters FC forward Facundo Pereyra takes home the 'Winning Pass of the Game' award, while his teammate and defender Sandeep Singh wins the 'Player of the Match' honour.
Kerala Blasters FC manager Kibu Vicuna: We will have some players who didn't play tonight, Nishu Kumar, Costa Nhamoinesu, Jordan Murray and Jessel Carneiro, back for the next game. So that's a positive. It's difficult to control emotions as a coach. But we have to behave better in the dugout. Football is a sport of two halves. In the first half, Goa was fantastic. We could have done better. We reacted well in the second half. Even when it was 11 vs 11, we were closer to winning the game than the opponent. But I would have loved three points.
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FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando: I'm not happy today. A lot of problems, injuries, red card etc. I don't think that was a red card (for Ivan Gonzalez). In Europe, we argue with the referee after a card to put forward our case. Today was strange for us because of the confusing decisions. I understand that they are referees and their decision is final. But it's not fair. Last week was very difficult for Angulo due to illness. He wasn't fully fit. So he was rested. Today, he played 45 minutes and hopefully, he can contribute even more next time around.
Post-match reactions from both the camps coming up next.....
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Despite the disappointment, Juan Ferrando's men stay third in the 2020-21 ISL standings with 19 points from 12 matches. Meanwhile, Kerala moves above Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC into seventh position.
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Ivan Gonzalez received two quick yellow cards in the same minute after he laid a hand on the referee, who had just booked him for a foul. From there, it was advantage KBFC. But Kibu Vicuna's side couldn't find the winner.
The first half ended 1-0 in favour of Goa. However, the Blasters found the equaliser in the 56th minute after Rahul KP headed the ball, coming off a Facundo Pereyra corner, into goal. Soon, FCG was reduced to 10 men.
FC Goa drew first blood and opened the scoring in the 25th minute through a Jorge Ortiz free-kick. Kerala Blasters FC had a goal disallowed due to Bakary Kone handling the ball in the build-up.
AND IT'S FULL-TIME! FINAL SCORE: KERALA BLASTERS FC 1 - 1 FC GOA!!!
90+3' FOUL! Rahul KP is pulled down from behind by FC Goa's Mohamed Ali. Pereyra will take the Kerala Blasters free-kick as usual. His cross into the box is punched away by FCG keeper Naveen.
90' Five minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half! It's been all Kerala Blasters in the last few minutes. But the team isn't doing enough despite holding a one-man advantage. FC Goa has been solid at the back.
88' FREE-KICK FOR KBFC! Facundo Pereyra takes it. His cross is received by Bakary Kone, who heads the ball towards Lalthathanga Khawlhring. The KBFC substitute fires the ball well over the post.
86' YELLOW CARD! FC Goa goalkeeper Naveen Kumar is booked for wasting time during a goal-kick. The referee also heads to the dugout to hand Goa manager Juan Ferrando a yellow.
83' FREE-KICK FOR FC GOA! Edu Bedia will take it. He sends the ball into the box. Defender Mohamed Ali tries to get to it but he ends up fouling KBFC keeper Albino Gomes. The referee award Kerala a free-kick.
80' CHANGE! Lalthathanga Khawlhring is brought on by Kerala Blasters FC head coach Kibu Vicuna as Sahal Abdul Samad makes his way to the dugout from the field.
78' CORNER FOR GOA! Jorge Ortiz receives a long ball from his skipper Edu Bedia. But just when he tried to have a shot on target, Sandeep Singh cleared the ball away. However, FCG isn't able to do anything with the set-piece as Angulo commits a foul in the process.
76' AND IT'S THE FINAL DRINKS BREAK OF THE MATCH!
74' THROW-IN FOR KBFC! Goa goalkeeper Naveen Kumar tries to find Mohamed Ali with a short pass. But there was no power on the ball. In an attempt to avert the danger, Ali kicks the ball out.
71' KBFC CHANCE! Sahal Abdul Samad sends in a through ball towards Gary Hooper, who in turn releases Sandeep Singh on the right flank with a quick pass. However, Sandeep is unable to control the ball as the possession is handed back to FC Goa.
68' SUBSTITUTION! Aiban Dohling replaces Alexander Jesuraj in the middle. Goa manager Ferrando is moving to a defensive strategy now as his side has been reduced to 10.
65' RED CARD!!! FC GOA'S IVAN GONZALEZ IS SENT OFF!!!!! Gonzalez first took down Kerala Blasters FC's Gary Hooper. The referee showed him a yellow card. The FCG defender kept arguing with the referee and ended up receiving a second quick caution. The Goan bench can't believe what just happened. Replays show that Gonzalez had put a hand on the referee.
62' FREE-KICK FOR FC GOA! Jorge Ortiz will take it. He tries to directly score from a tough angle. But KBFC goalkeeper Albino Gomes safely collects the ball this time around.
59' GOOD TACKLE! Samad receives the ball from his Kerala teammate Kone and moves forward. But Goa defender Ivan Gonzalez executed a perfect sliding tackle to recover the ball.
56' GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!!! RAHUL KP SCORESSSSSSS!!! KERALA BLASTERS 1 - 1 FC GOA!!!!!! Facundo Pereyra takes a corner from the right flank. Rahul KP runs into the box from outside and jumps high to head the ball home. The FC Goa defence was sleeping there.
53' THROW-IN FOR FCG! Albino Gomes takes a poor goal-kick. He sends the ball out of play. FC Goa's Saviour Gama sends a long throw into the box. But the KBFC defence clears the ball away.
50' CORNER FOR KBFC! Facundo Pereyra takes the set-piece for Kerala Blasters FC. He sends in a cross into the box. Bakary Kone beats his marker to connect with the header. However, his shot goes over the goalpost.
47' SUBSTITUTION! FC Goa manager Juan Ferrando makes a change straightaway. He brings in the experienced Igor Angulo for Devendra Murgaokar.
THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY!
Forty-five minutes to go. Stay Tuned!
FC Goa opened the scoring through a Jorge Ortiz set-piece. Later in the game, Kerala Blasters FC had Bakary Kone's goal disallowed due to handball.
AND IT'S HALF-TIME! SCORE: FC GOA 1 - 0 KERALA BLASTERS FC!!!
45+1' Three minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half! Yondrembem Denechandra rushes forward with the ball on the left flank. But his cross goes over the crossbar for a Goa goal-kick.
44' FOUL! Jeakson Singh just rushes in and takes out FC Goa's foreign recruit Alberto Noguera with silly tackle. The Goa players ask the referee to hand Jeakson a card, but the man in charge isn't interested.
42' BOOKING! This is not for any player on the field. Kerala Blasters FC head coach Kibu Vicuna receives a yellow card for arguing too much with the fourth official.
40' GOAL DISALLOWED FOR KBFC!!!!! The referee rules out Bakary Kone's goal for handball after consulting with the linesman. The Kerala Blasters FC players don't protest the decision much. It was a cross into the box from the right. Goa keeper Naveen Kumar tried to catch the ball but he made a mess of it. The dropped ball fell to Kone who used thigh first, and then his arm to find the back of the net.
37' YELLOW CARD! KBFC's Indian forward Rahul KP is booked by the referee for an extremely poor tackle on an opposition player. FC Goa gets a set-piece in its own half.
34' FREE-KICK FOR KBFC! Facundo Pereyra will take the set-piece. He sends in a cross into the box but Ivan Gonzalez heads it away from danger. Kerala has been creating quite a few chances here.
31' AND IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST HALF COOLING BREAK!
28' FOUL! KBFC's Vicente Gomez takes down FCG full-back Seriton Fernandes in midfield. The referee initially hesitated to award a free-kick. But he finally gives it, and doesn't show a card to Gomez.
25' GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!! JORGE ORTIZ SCOREEESSSS!!!!!! FC GOA 1 - 0 KERALA BLASTERS!!! It was a Goa free-kick and Jorge Ortiz took it. His shot was deflected by Sahal Abdul Samad in the wall. KBFC keeper Albino Gomes moved forward but the ball went over him into goal.
21' FORCED SUBSTITUTION! FC Goa defender James Donachie is injured and he's forced to leave the field. He will be replaced by Mohamed Ali in the middle. Manager Juan Ferrando looks concerned.
17' FC Goa currently holds the advantage over Kerala Blasters here. The Gaurs have the better possession, passing and attacking stats. KBFC has kind of dropped down, and the team looks happy to defend right now.
14' KBFC MOVE! Sandeep Singh takes the ball forward for Kerala Blasters FC on the right wing. However, his low cross into the box is a poor one. FC Goa regains possession.
11' CLOSE! Bakary Kone makes a clearance to stop a FCG attack. The ball almost went out of play but KBFC forward Sahal Abdul Samad kept it in play and moved forward. However, his attempted cross is not accurate as Goa wins a goal-kick.
8' WHAT A CHANCE! Jorge Mendoza hits the woodwork from close range, not once but twice! Albino Gomes finally collects the ball. This was a brilliant counter-attack from from the Gaurs. But the team was unlucky in the end.
5' STAT ATTACK! Edu Bedia has the most successful passes in the opposition half (367) in the 2020-21 ISL campaign so far. He has also attempted the most in opposition half. He will be crucial for his side's chances tonight, especially in the absence of Angulo.
2' FREE-KICK FOR FC GOA! Rahul KP fouls Edu Bedia from behind. The FCG skipper will take the set-piece. But the KBFC defenders are alert as they clear away the danger.
7:30 PM: AND THE MATCH BEGINS!
7:15 PM: In case you missed it, FC Goa recently announced the signing of Indian international Adil Khan on loan from Hyderabad FC for the rest of the season. ( FULL STORY )
7:00 PM: Two changes for Kerala Blasters FC! Both foreign changes. Bakary Kone and Facundo Pereyra have replaced Costa Nhamoinesu and Jordan Murray in Kibu Vicuna's lineup tonight.
Two alterations for FC Goa as well! Princeton Rebello and Devendra Murgaokar have come into Juan Ferrando's playing XI for this game in place of Brandon Fernandes and Lenny Rodrigues.
6:45 PM: FC Goa has never lost a game in which Igor Angulo has scored. Will The Gaurs miss their star striker in the game against Kerala Blasters tonight?
6:30 PM: The team lineups are out!
KBFC XI: Albino Gomes, Sandeep Singh, Bakary Kone, Facundo Pereyra, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vicente Gomez, Juande, Yondrembem Denechandra, Gary Hooper.
COACH: Kibu Vicuna.
FCG XI: Naveen Kumar, Ivan Gonzalez, Alberto Noguera, James Donachie, Jorge Mendoza, Princeton Rebello, Alexander Jesuraj, Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama, Edu Bedia, Devendra Murgaokar.
COACH: Juan Ferrando
6:15 PM: As Kerala Blasters FC and FC Goa gear up to square off in match 68 of the 2020-21 Indian Super League, here are the important stats, players to watch out for and head-to-head record from the fixture. ( READ MORE )
Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 .
The seventh edition of the Indian Super League got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.
The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.
MATCH PREVIEW:
A week ago, the last act shattered Kerala Blasters as East Bengal pulled off a stunning draw with a stoppage-time goal. A couple of days ago, the Blasters were at the happy end after another injury-time action, this time K.P. Rahul bringing the match-winner against Bengaluru FC.
That win was only Blasters' third in 12 matches in the Indian Super League 2020-21 season (ISL) but now though they are in the ninth rung in the 11-team ladder, the Kochi side is just three points away from the fourth-placed Hyderabad FC. That should be a happy thought as the Blasters take on third-placed FC Goa at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim, on Saturday.
“We are competing in every match till the end. In the last three matches, we competed well. We played well and we got the points,” said Kibu Vicuna, the Kerala Blasters head coach. “We are happy that we are close (to the top four) but we are focusing on the next game.”
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Vicuna feels that Goa has some very dangerous players. “They are a good team, very well prepared with fantastic players. They are playing well. They have very dangerous players. Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz and Romario Jesuraj are playing well," he said.
"I hope that tomorrow in the game, we are going to be better. And also creating more chances than at the beginning of the season.
The last time the two met, on December 6, Goa ran away with a 3-1 victory with Igor Angulo scoring two goals. Goa has also authored some great comebacks, after conceding early goals, and this will make the side a tough nut to crack for rival teams.
“We play as a team, we fight until the last minute. Each player has to fight. They know that they will not be in the squad if they don't do that. You will win some or lose some, but fighting is the most important thing,” said Juan Ferrando, the Goa head coach.
“It will be a very difficult game (against the Blasters). They have been trying to play good football. They have different plans and are making the most of free spaces. They have a good squad,” he said.
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