Welcome to Sportstar's live blog of the Hero Super Cup 2019 quarterfinal clash between FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
This is Shyam Vasudevan here and I'll be giving you company through this evening's exciting clash.
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After eight long minutes of added time, referee Rahul Kumar Gupta blows the whistle. FC Goa advances to the semifinal of the Hero Super Cup 2019 after beating Jamshedpur FC 4-3 in an absolute goal-fest.
Read the match report here -
10-man Goa claims thrilling 4-3 win over Jamshedpur FC
Lobera's side will face the reigning I-League champion Chennai City FC in the semifinal, in what promises to be a scintillating contest!
90+8' Silly, silly yellow card this. Mourtada Fall picks up a booking for time wasting.
90+6' Another change for Goa: Krouch is replaced by Rebello.
90+3' Yellow for Passi. He makes a crunching tackle on Seriton and goes into the ref's book.
90+2' Substitution for Goa: Brandon Fernandes is replaced by Liston.
90' The fourth official has signalled for five minutes of added time. Can JFC do the unthinkable and bag another goal to equalise?
90' Dicey dicey! A cross is drifted in from the left and Saviour Gama nearly handles the ball in the box. The ball strikes him on the thigh and Nawaz swoops in to clear the danger.
87' Substitution for Goa: Corominas is replaced by Liston. Oh wait, the substitution did not go through, Coro remains on the pitch.
83' CALVO SCORES! He beats Nawaz from the spot and reduces FC Goa's lead to a solitary goal. A massive boost for JFC going into the last 10-odd minutes of play. Can Cesar Ferrando's men make the comeback?
82 ' What a twist to the tale! Bedia appears to foul Morgado in the box and has received marching orders! FC Goa has been reduced to 10 men and Bedia will miss the semifinal clash if his side wins tonight. And more importantly, Jamshedpur now has a penalty!
80' This looks worrisome! Corominas appears to have picked up an injury and has been stretchered off.
77' WE HAVE ANOTHER GOAL! Calvo plays a teasing cross from the left and Cidoncha leaps above his marker to beat the 'keeper at the near post. That's Calvo's second assist of the evening and Jamshedpur now trails FC Goa 4-2.
75' Substitutions:
FC Goa - Jackichand is replaced by Manvir
Jamshedpur FC - Passi comes on for Farukh
73' We have another goal! Bedia's strike catches Pratik on the arm and the ref points to the spot. Corominas steps up, sends the 'keeper the wrong way, and makes it 4-1 for FC Goa. That surely has to be the game!
69' Morgado pegs one back! Nawaz make a wayward pass Jamshedpur FC makes the most of it. Calvo plays a pinpoint cross from the left and Morgado calmly slots it past Nawaz to make it 3-1. Goa's lead is now reduced to two goals.
64' WHAT A STUNNING FINISH! Seriton Fernandes produces an astounding finish to triple FC Goa's lead. Krouch squares it for Seriton on the right and he shows excellent composure to hammer it past Rafique. FC Goa now leads 3-0 with a little over 25 minutes to play.
60' Close! Edu Bedia makes a tearing run from midfield and plays an exquisite through ball for Corominas, but the latter fails to get past the 'keeper. Bedia has been simply phenomenal tonight!
56' Lovely link up play from Goa here, Jacki plays a diagonal ball to Bedia in the centre and the Spaniard controls it with finesse. He goes on to send a stinging attempt on goal but its deflected for a corner. Goa getting into a strong rhythm now.
52' Calvo breaks wrestles his way past the Goan defence and has a go at goal, but just can't get his strike on target.
49' How did Jacki miss that! Krouch finds him at the far post and Jacki has just the 'keeper between him and the goal, but only manages to find he side-netting.
46' A double change for Jamshedpur here: Jerry and Karan Amin have been replaced by Mobashir and Robin Gurung respectively.
46' And we're back! Can FC Goa hold on to its lead and claim its first win against Jamshedpur FC this season or will the Men of Steel stage a remarkable comeback?
45+2' Uh oh, the goal has been adjudged as an own-goal and has been credited to Morgado. A tad harsh this, but Goa remains 2-0 ahead nevertheless.
45+2' GOAL NUMBER TWO FOR GOA! Brandon Fernandes is the scorer as his curling freekick from the left beats everyone and rolls into the back of the net. Goa doubles its advantage at the stroke of half-time.
43' Seriton is offered room and he makes a surging run into the Jamshedpur box. He plays a quick one-two with Jackichand in the box and the defence swoops in just as he is about to let one rip.
40' Off the crossbar! Krouch does extremely well to weave off his marker and fires a curling left-footer. Rafique leaps high to pad it away, but it takes a deflection off the crossbar and is subsequently dealt with. Anxious moments for the Jamshedpur defence.
36' Chance for FC Goa! Brandon's freekick finds Corominas in the box but he struggles to get a header off. Half-chance this for Coro.
32' A defensive clearance finds Lenny Rodrigues in midfield and he fires a rasping volley, but Rafique has it coverd. That's the second time Lenny has a had a go from distance tonight.
27' Terrific save from Nawaz. Morgado releases Jerry through on goal with a defence-splitting pass and the attacker has a shot on goal but Nawaz does extremely well to make a strong save.
23' GOAL! Brandon Fernandes' curling freekick is nodded into the right corner by Edu Bedia and FC Goa now has the lead! It was a perfect delivery from Brandon and captain Bedia leaps above the defence to glide the ball home and give his side the advantage.
21' Ambitious! Jackichand shows great vision, notices the 'keeper is off his line, and fires a long-ranger all the way from the midfield line. Jamshedpur custodian Rafique races back to his goal, but the ball sails just above the crossbar.
19' First booking of the game! Edu Bedia picks up a yellow for a rash tackle from behind on Calvo.
Our reporter Aashin, who's at the Kalinga Stadium, says: "The turnouts at the venue has been pretty disappointing since the Bengaluru-Chennai City clash. I can spot a 'Gaur Army' flag at one end. Don't spot any supporter behind it, however." The poor attendances continue!
17' Good chance for Tiri there. The corner is floated into the box and no one's marking him! He manages to connect well, but can't find the frame.
15' It's been an interesting opening quarter of play. Goa has dominated the proceedings thus far and has had a few decent attempts, but hasn't quite troubled the Jamshedpur goalkeeper just yet.
12' CHANCE! Tiri deflects Corominas' pass onto Brandon's path and he has just the 'keeper to beat, but fails to find the target. Tough chance, but Brandon could have done better.
10' Fantastic move from FC Goa. A lovely counter-attack sees Edu Bedia win room for a shot and his strike drifts just wide of the far post.
7' How did the refs miss that? Rafique collects the ball and ventures just out of his box in the process, but neither the linesman nor the ref caught it.
4' Nawaz forced into action now. The corner is played short and Calvo has a go at goal, but fails to trouble the young FC Goa goalkeeper.
3' Corominas shoots! The Spaniard makes the most of a defensive error to get a shot on target, but it's an easy save for Rafique.
8:30: The players are on the pitch, the pleasantries have been exchanged and we're minutes away from action! Stay tuned!
8:20 pm: Our reporter Aashin Prasad, who's at the venue, says: "First start for 20-year-old goalkeeper Mohammed Rafique Ali in Jamshedpur's line-up. Veteran goalkeeper Subrata Paul was seen in the pre-match press conference but has now been kept out of the firing line."
8:15 pm: Interesting line ups here. Jamshedpur has started with Rafique instead of the veteran Subrata Paul in goal, and continues to miss the services of the influential Michael Soosairaj. Goa boasts a usual attacking line up, headed by the oh-so-dangerous Corominas. This promises to be a fun encounter!
8:05 pm: Here's FC Goa's starting XI: Mohammad Nawaz (GK), Carlos Pena, Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama, Mourtada Fall, Zaid Krouch, Edu Bedia, Lenny Rodrigues, Jackichand Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Ferran Corominas.
8:00 pm: Here's how Jamshedpur will line up tonight: Rafique (GK), Karan Amin, Bikash Jairu, Tiri, Pratik Chowdhary, Memo, Carlos Calvo, Sergio Cidoncha, Pablo Morgado, Jerry, Farukh Choudhary.
7:45 pm: Here's a fascinating stat - FC Goa failed to beat Jamshedpur in both their clashes in the Indian Super League this season. Jamshedpur won the home leg 4-1, while the side's played out a goalless draw in the reverse fixture in January. Can Goa claim the elusive win tonight?
FC Goa will head into the tie as the undoubted favourite. Sergio Lobera's side handed Indian Arrows a 3-0 drubbing in the pre-quarterfinal and will look to maintain their winning momentum. Jameshedpur FC, on the other hand, has not played a competitive game in over a month and will be eager to start off with a win.
Here's our reporter Aashin Prasad's preview for the clash:
Rusty Jamshedpur braces up to face Goa
A wary Jamshedpur FC side, playing its first competitive match in 37 days, will take on a wounded Indian Super League (ISL) finalist FC Goa in the quarterfinal of the Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Jamshedpur will be battling for match sharpness when it takes the field after I-League side Churchill Brothers handed a walkover in their round-of-16 match. The team resumed training 10 days after its final ISL match of the season and has been putting in the hard yards during the long break, stressed coach Cesar Ferrando.
“It’s a difficult match for us because, after the ISL, we haven’t played a competitive game,” said Ferrando. “We are now going to play against the runner-up of last season. They play very well and score a lot of goals but my team is ready for them and can demonstrate to win the trophy.”
‘Mistakes’
Despite failing to qualify for the ISL playoffs, the Men of Steel put on a commendable display, finishing fifth on the points table for the second successive season. They are the only team to finish the season unbeaten against the top four teams in the table and to stop Goa from scoring in its own backyard in the league stages. But a league-high nine draws and the indifferent form of the strikers dashed its hopes of a top-four finish. Ferrando, however, underlined that his team had to cope with issues in the striking area which was out of his hands.
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“It’s a big problem for us [scoring goals] during the season. Gaurav’s (Mukhi) ban and some players picked up injuries which were bad for the team. Despite that, we played very well and scored a lot of goals. I think we made two or three made big mistakes which cost our qualification,” said the Spaniard.
Ferrando could persist with midfielder Pablo Morgado in the striker’s role after his brace against Bengaluru FC in the final game of the season. The return of a fully-fit Michael Soosairaj will add creativity in the flanks.
The last eight game on Saturday has been touted as a battle between Jamshedpur’s sturdy defence against the Gaurs’ free-scoring forwards.
‘Very good side’
Goa’s assistant coach Jesus Tato did not want to look into his team’s below-par scoring-record against its opponent this season. “We all know Jamshedpur is a very good side with a lot of work behind them; tactically a very organised [side]. If we are not at our 100 per cent it will be a tough game. They have a good defensive system but we are focused on ourselves. We know the football we want to play, we don’t want to be distracted by their strength,” said Tato.
Sergio Lobera’s men are keen to put the disappointment of the ISL final loss behind them and they began the process by dispatching Indian Arrows 3-0 in the last 16.
Central midfielder Ahmed Jahouh isn’t part of Goa’s squad for the tournament, but Hugo Boumous marked his return to the starting XI with a goal, his fourth of the season.
Ferran Corominas, ISL’s top goal-scorer, was reduced to a peripheral figure in Mumbai against Bengaluru FC in the final. But, Tato backed his compatriot to come good with the quality around him. “It was only in one game. It’s true that we create a lot of chances in all games and most of the times, Coro scores. But in the final, we couldn’t do it. It’s important for us to keep in the same path because we have the quality to create a lot of chances, and Coro will score again,” he said.
Goa’s skipper Mandar Dessai and Nirmal Chettri are unavailable for selection on Saturday.
(The match will kick-off at 8:30 pm and will be streamed live on Hotstar.)
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