FC Goa recorded their 50th clean sheet in the league and continued their formidable form as they edged past Kerala Blasters FC 1-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) season on Thursday. It was an intensely cagey affair between the two teams, as neither allowed their opposition an inch. It was an interesting battle in midfield, with Kerala Blasters FC favoring their homegrown talents, Vibin Mohanan and Freddy Lallawmawma, against FC Goa's Carl McHugh-led midfield.
The first chance of the match fell to Iker Guarrotxena when the Spaniard hit the post from a well-planned free kick. It came straight from the training ground and took the opposition defenders by surprise. However, the ball was cleared after hitting the far post, with Sachin Suresh completely beaten between the sticks.
The Gaurs were relentless in attack after thirty minutes and their persistence finally paid off when Sahil Tavora found Boris Singh on the right flank with acres of space. The winger tried his luck from a tight angle and to everyone's surprise, Sachin Suresh failed to parry the ball clear and eventually conceded in the 40th minute.
It was a difficult first season for Mikael Stahre, with his team dropping points due to several individual mistakes. One such incident happened today when Sachin Suresh fluffed his lines, which was otherwise a very regular rescue. Now the goal gave FC Goa the lead at half-time, allowing the visitors to dictate terms in the second period.
The Gaurs started the second half just as they ended the first. They nearly doubled their lead when Dejan Drazic found himself behind the Blasters' back line during a fast break. He squeezed past Pritam Kotal but was eventually denied by Sachin Suresh.
As Manolo Marquez's men continued their attack, Stahre decided to shake things up with big changes in the 56th minute. He brought in the likes of Kwame Peprah, Korou Singh and Sandeep Singh, replacing Jesus Jimenez, Rahul KP and Pritam Kotal respectively.
Peprah was quick off the blocks with a brilliantly weighted diagonal ball to Noah Sadaoui. However, the Moroccan's last ball towards Luna was expertly blocked by Akash Sangwan. There was a spell that belonged to the hosts, but players like Odei Onaindia and Sandesh Jhingan held their fort with aplomb.
In the 84th minute, Manolo turned to his substitutions as he brought on the trio of Armando Sadiku, Borja Herrera and Udanta Singh to freshen things up for the visitors. FC Goa's defenders were again called into action by young Korou, who made two attempts on goal in quick succession, but was kept out both times. The youngster was initially in a great position to score the equalizer but he was thwarted by an excellent block from Jhingan, who threw his body onto the line to secure the lead for the Gaurs.
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