This is Sportstar's ISL match blog of the encounter between NorthEast United FC and FC Goa at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Thursday.
Juan Ferrando "I am not happy with the result and our second half. I like to play laterally but difficult for Glan and Amarjit who are playing for the first time. After Princeton's injury, we needed to make the sub. Some players have problem physically. At the end, the sub was a problem with his feet. We needed to change after Princeton's injury. He was building up the game but that wasnt possible. We moved Alberto into No. 10 for attack. Difficult injury. We will see, he is with medical staff. It's important to protect my players. [On penalties conceded] Alberto was behind Machado. It's a penalty. Maybe because our timing is not good with tackles."
Khalid Jamil "We are happy to get a point but we tried to get all three. I am happy with the result that we at least got a point. Its a good sign that everyone played positively. We have another game in 2 days. [On Fox's sub] Khassa has four yellows with Ashutosh, and they will miss the next game, so I thought he [Fox] could help Lalengmawia defensively.
Goa started the game strongly up until it took the lead early in the game but NEUFC was the better side since then. NEUFC dominated and stifled Goa in the second half but went behind again against the run of play through an own goal. NEUFC came back again through a penalty which Gallego converted. Goa (3rd), Hyderabad FC (4th) and NEUFC (5th) are all tied on 22 points. - ISL 2020: Points Table
FULL-TIME.
90'+4' Gallego plays in a good delivery but Dheeraj comes out to punch it out of his box. Sylla is shown a yellow card for kicking ball away after a NEUFC foul.
90'+3' Freekick outside Goa's box. Gallego stands over it.
90'+2' Amarjit has a shot at distance and it goes horribly wide for a throw in.
Five minutes of added time
89' What a crucial block by Ashutosh after Noguera played in Angulo through on goal!
86' NEUFC SUB: Camara OFF, Fox ON
85' Yellow card for Camara for a foul on Amarjit.
85' Ortiz cuts in from the left and unleashes a shot which clips the crossbar and goes behind.
83' GOAL! Gallego smashes it straight again and Dhheraj guess it right but he can't keep it out. The ball trickles over the line.
83' PENALTY! Second penalty of thegame for NEUFC. Gallego plays in Ashutosh down the right and he takes it past Gonzalez, who trips the player to the ground.
80' GOAL! Amarjit scores on his Goa debut! Against the run of play, Goa is back in the lead. Ortiz's inswining corner is turned towards goal from close-range by Amarjit and Gurjinder can't save it on the line. The goal has been awarded as a Gurjinder own goal.
79' Mashoor with a good block on Gama's shot from the left side.
78' NEUFC SUB: Brown OFF, Sylla ON; GOA SUB: Devendra OFF, Redeem ON
76' Water break taken.
74' Goa struggling for control in the middle of the park with both new signings Amarjit and Martins playing together for the first time.
69' Gallego goes directly on goal from a freekick and Dheeraj dives well to his right to make the save!
68' Superb recovery by Adil to get in the block on Adil after Brown knocked it behind Goa's defence to make room for a cutback.
66' Ashutosh is booked for a deliberate handball. He will be suspended for NEUFC's next game.
66' Corner played into the box and it's a free header for Brown, who ends up firing it over the bar.
NEUFC has had the better of the exchanges since the beginning of the second half
63' Superb feet by Machado down the left side and plays in a cross into the box but the NEUFC attacker miscues his volley!
61' NEUFC SUB: Suhair OFF, Ninthoi Meetei ON
59' Gallego fires it straight at goal through a crowd of players and Dheeraj does well to punch it away!
58' Adil Khan hauls down Machado down the left side of Goa box. Freekick for NEUFC.
57' Ortiz goes for goal but its just over the bar.
56' Ashutosh catches the leg of Ortiz just outside the Goa box. Freekick from the left side.
54' Lalengmawia with a couple of cheap fouls but goes unpunished.
49' Long throw in again and this time Lambot flicks it on with his head but Dheeraj collects it.
47' From a throw in, Gallego flicks it on for Brown to run through on goal and the striker's left-footed volleyed strike flies just over the bar.
46' NEUFC gets the second half underway and will play from right to left. FC GOA SUB: Romario OFF, Amarjit ON
SECOND HALF
HALF-TIME. Goa with most of the possession but it hasn't been allowed to dictate play as much as Juan Ferrnado would like due to the high press effected by NEUFC. Goa took the lead after a superb work by Ortiz in the build-up but NUEFC has responded well to get back into the game and level the scores.
45'+3' No action taken against either player.
45'+1' Bodies on the floor. Saviour with an elbow to Gallego's face and it looked like the Uruguayan seemed to have a kick out the Goa defender while they were tangled together.
Three minutes of added time.
44' Phew! A half-volleyed piledriver from Angulo from outside the box just fractionally flies over the bar!
41' GOAL! Gallego equalises for NEUFC! The midfielder smashes it down the middle as Dheeraj dives the wrong way.
40' PENALTY! Machado is played in by Gallego inside the box with a superb pass and the winger checks inside to set himself for a shot but is shoved down from behind by Noguera. Referee points to the spot.
38' BLOCK! Dheeraj misses his punch from the corner and the ball is set up for Suhair, who volleys it towards goal, where Martins clears it off the line!
36' NEUFC on the break with Gallego, who plays it behind Goa's defence for Brown. Adil gets a touch on Brown with his sliding tackle but Brown manages to get his shot away which is saved by Dheeraj, who came off his line. Penalty appeals waived away.
35' FC Goa SUB: Princeton OFF, Glan Martins ON
Princeton is stretchered off the field.
33' Play resumes and Princeton is down injured again. That could be the end of his game.
31' Drinks break taken
28' Gallego wins the ball off Noguera just outside the Goa box and plays in Machadho, whose shot is blocked. The ball bounces and is set up for Suhari on the right and his volleyed effort goes wide of the near post.
27' Lambot with a foul on Angulo while they duel for an aerial ball.
26' Mistake at the back. Adil passes it back to Dheeraj and Brown harries down to put him under pressure to cut out his pass which nearly goes into the net.
24' Princeton on the ground after a clash of heads during a NEUFC corner.
21' GOAL! Romario puts Goa ahead! Superb build-up by Goa with Prtiz picking up the ball down the left and knocking it past a defender close to the byline and just about keeping it in play. He finds Noguera inside the box and the midfielder plays in a shot/pass on the edge of the goal for Romario to smash it in. This is Romario's first ISL goal.
17' Ashutosh slips inside the Goa box while he plays in a cross. Dheeraj comfortably collects it.
13' Devendra concedes a freekick by fouling Machado down the left side of Goa's box. Gallego's outswining delivery is met by Brown but his header is deflected behind for a corner.
10' Ortiz goes for goal from a freekick but Subhasish collects it safely.
7' Ortiz drives forward and plays in Romario down the right side for a cutback but the cross is cut out behind for a corner.
Noguera plays as Goa's deepest central midfielder in the absence of Edu Bedia.
4' Seriton picks out Devendra in the NEUFC box but the forward's volleyed strike is over the bar.
2' Ashutosh's outswinging cross from the right goes behind for a goal kick.
1' FC Goa kicks off from right to left.
FIRST HALF
7.24 pm : Both teams make their way out to the middle.
6.45 pm: Two changes for NorthEast United from the win over Mumbai City. First-choice full-backs Ashutosh Mehta and Gurjinder Kumar return to the XI in place of Nim Dorjee and Provat Lakra. Three changes for FC Goa from the draw against East Bengal. Seriton Fernandes, Ivan Gonzalez and Devendra Murgaokar come in place of Edu Bedia, Aibanbha Dohling, Mohamed Ali. NFC Goa's nw signings Glan Martins and Amarjit Singh make the bench.
6.32 pm: The team news is in
NorthEast United XI (4-2-3-1)
Subhasish Roy; Ashutosh Mehta, Mashoor Shereef, Benjamin Lambot, Gurjinder Kumar; Lalengmawia, Khassa Camara; Suhair VP, Federico Gallego, Luis Machado; Deshorn Brown
FC Goa XI (4-2-3-1)
Dheeraj Singh; Seriton Fernandes, Adil Khan, Ivan Gonzalez, Saviour Gama; Princeton Rebello, Alberto Noguera; Alexander Jesuraj, Jorge Ortiz, Devendra Murgaokar; Igor Angulo
6.05 pm: Here are the predicted XI for tonight's clash.
NorthEast United predicted XI (4-3-3)
Subhasish Roy, Provat Lakra, Mashoor Shereef, Benjamin Lambot, Nim Dorjee, Lalengmawia, Khassa Camara, Federico Gallego, Luis Machado, Deshorn Brown, Suhair VP.
FC GOA predicted XI (4-2-3-1)
Dheeraj Singh, Ivan Gonzalez, Adil Khan, James Donachie, Saviour Gama, Mohamed Ali, Princeton Rebello, Alexander Jesuraj, Alberto Noguera, Jorge Ortiz, Igor Angulo.
6 PM: Podcast - The merger between ATK and Mohun Bagan for ISL 2020-21 seemed like a match made in heaven, but fans didn't look pleased. Our reporters Shyam Vasudevan, Aashin Prasad and Amitabha Das Sharma delve into the reasons behind fans' displeasure and the raging hashtag #RemoveATK in the latest episode of 'The Full Time Show'.
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:
NorthEast United's resurgence under interim coach Khalid Jamil has been phenomenal. The team has claimed three consecutive victories and is within touching distance of a playoffs spot.
In its quest to reach the next stage of the Indian Super League (ISL 2020-21), NEUFC will face fourth-placed FC Goa, which is ahead of it only on goal difference, at Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Thursday.
Both sides have five wins, six draws, three losses and 19 goals so far in the ongoing ISL edition and need to bag three points to move above Hyderabad FC into third in the standings. A loss for either team will be a huge blow considering the number of mid-table clubs still with a chance to make the semifinals.
Goa is unbeaten in seven matches, having won three and drawn four. The Gaurs will be boosted by Igor Angulo's return to full fitness. The Spanish striker who leads the ISL 2020-21 Golden Boot standings scored against SC East Bengal after a four-game goalless run.
Fellow countrymen Jorge Ortiz (five goals) and Alberto Noguera (five assists) have provided ample support to Angulo in the attack. However, FCG has often conceded equalising goals from winning positions and kept only two clean sheets this season, the second least after Odisha FC.
Manager Juan Ferrando was busy during the January transfer window, signing four players -- goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh from ATK Mohun Bagan, defender Adil Khan on loan from Hyderabad FC, midfielders Amarjit Singh and Glan Martins from Jamshedpur FC and ATKMB, respectively. He let go of Seiminlen Doungel (on loan to JFC) and Lenny Rodrigues (ATKMB) too.
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"I feel pressure all the time. It's good for Indian Football because there is only a difference of three to four points between teams. It's good for us because we aren't relaxed. Every game is important, and our mentality is to get three points," Ferrando told during the pre-match press conference, indicating that he's happy to embrace the tournament's pressure.
The gaffer also claimed that he was impressed with the style of play of his upcoming opponent.
"NorthEast United players are always happy. They are enjoying every minute of every clash. The ambience in their dressing room will be nice. They won difficult contests and have gained lots of positives."
Meanwhile, the Highlanders' newest recruit -- Deshorn Brown from Bengaluru FC -- has already made an impact by scoring three goals in as many outings. He has filled in perfectly for Kwesi Appiah, who is out with a long-term injury.
Brown's inclusion in the NorthEast squad has eased the workload of Federico Gallego (two goals and four assists) and Luis Machado (four goals and one assist). Assistant manager Alison Kharsyntiew credited his new boss Jamil for NEUFC's turnaround since the departure of Gerard Nus.
"I would like to give credit to coach Khalid, the technical director, all the coaching staff and the players. We haven't changed anything, but only focused on strengthening our attacking and defending principles to play better football," he said before his outfit's next match.
Alison added that the Highlanders were wary of the threat Goa can possess.
"They are a good team with good players and a good coach. We have analysed them. We have to approach the game well and give our best. We plan to go game by game. We have to be consistent. That's the most important thing," he concluded.
The injured centre-back Dylan Fox's availability is still a doubt for NEUFC, while the Gaurs will be without their skipper Edu Bedia who was sent off in the encounter against SCEB.
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