SULLIVAN NORONHA
sullivan@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: It took FC Goa only half an hour to cancel out Delhi Dynamos FC’s first leg advantage at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda. Two first half goals from Joffre and Rafael Coelho and a third strike for good measure from Dudu in the second half sealed the deal for FC Goa as they put on a thoroughly attacking display of football from the word go.
This impressive victory sees them beat their achievements of last year as they make it to their first final of the Hero Indian Super League where they will play either Chennaiyin FC or Atletico de Kolkata at home in Goa.
It was a bright start for the home team as Romeo Fernandes is sent clear down the right and puts in a beautiful cross for Rafael Coelho but his attempted header to lay it on for Dudu was cleared to safety. Gustavo Dos Santos was beginning to show his threat from the wings but FC Goa managed to hold on.
A missed clearance and a Joffre ball forward saw Rafael charge into the box but his cross just evaded the goalkeeper and the onrushing striker. Matters began to get heated after two consecutive fouls on Rafael went unpunished which got Zico upset. Moments later, a long ball forward was headed back across goal for Joffre whose left footed effort sailed well over the bar; a good chance missed for the home side.
It didn’t take long however, for the home side to take the lead and equalise the score of the tie. A brilliant solo effort by Joffre from the right saw him dribble past three Delhi defenders and hit a shot at the near post, beating Antonio Doblas Santana to send Fatorda into an avalanche of cheers.
In the 22nd minute, Romeo ran through the defence before unleashing a left footed shot which Doblas parried straight back to the Goan winger. His left footed shot to catch the goalkeeper off the line however, went just wide of the post; another huge chance for Goa. The home side continued to pile pressure on the away side in a bid to double their lead.
Delhi almost got a goal back in the 26th minute when Sehnaj Singh threaded a pass through the heart of the home defence to find an unmarked Adil Nabi who shot just wide. Delhi were made to pay for that miss dearly though as a long ball forward saw Rafael charge forward and take a shot which beat Santana at the far post to send the stadium into a deafening frenzy. Amidst the injury scares for Rafael, Delhi were the first to make a substitution as they brought on Hans Mulder for an injured John Arne Riise.
In the 33rd minute, a surging Leo Moura was brought down cynically by Dos Santos who received the first booking of the game. Not long later, an unmarked Florent Malouda almost got on the end of a long ball forward to equalise the tie but Laxmikant Kattimani managed to deflect the ball away with his fingertips.
Right at the end of the first half, a brilliant solo run by Dos Santos could’ve seen the away side equalise the tie. After getting nicked off the ball, it fell to the feet of Malouda whose shot hit the face of Lucio and deflected out — a lucky reprieve for the home side who were looking to close out the first half without any damage. They did manage to end the half without more damage with Zico’s tactics working to perfection.
Delhi were first out of the blocks in the second period as Adil Nabi found himself in acres of space and took a shot straight at Kattimani who grabbed it easily. Joffre was then cautioned minutes later for a foul on Malouda.
Goa were inches close to their third goal after a Pronay Halder clearance saw Dudu turn and square for Romeo whose shot from a couple yards out was straight to Santana. Moura ran on to the loose ball and took a shot which sailed well above the bar.
Dos Santos was lucky to stay on the pitch after he brought down Rafael close the Goa goal but the referee failed to produce a card. It was becoming a feisty affair, but the home side were able to stay strong through a wave of Delhi pressure.
Goa finally made their first substitution of the game with Rafael going off for Jonatan Lucca. The striker suffered a procession of fouls and while Zico wanted to protect his front man, he also wanted to shore up the midfield with the inclusion of the young Brazilian midfielder.
Goa continued to pile on the pressure despite being ahead and Delhi were having a few problems dealing with it. The away side absorbed a lot of pressure and looked to surge forward on the counter-attack. Roberto Carlos threw on Richard Gadze for the ineffective Nabi. The Ghanaian upped the tempo on the game but Delhi were still not able to break through.
In the 83rd minute, Dudu won the ball in midfield and charged forward, beating players at will. The ball forward was nicked from him at the last minute though and Bikramjit Singh’s shot off the loose ball saw Santana make a superb save. The resulting corner however, was devastating for the away side. Having played it short, Joffre received the ball on the left side and put a cross in to Romeo waiting at the far post who cut it back brilliantly for Dudu to tap home. The 19,796 fans in the crowd were in delirium with only five minutes left.
The match reached its tipping point when Romeo was fouled in the 89th minute. Shylo was shown a yellow card for the tackle. Nabi who was taken off earlier got involved in the consequent argument and was duly sent off. This however, did not deter the home side who stuck to their task and held out for a very impressive victory.
