Pune stay on top after 1-1 draw with Goa
FC Pune City held FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda in front of an 18,521-strong crowd. Both goals came in the second half with Roger Johnson putting into his own net to give Goa the lead before a Eugeneson Lyngdoh drew parity for the men in orange and purple stripes.
Mandar Rao Dessai took FC Goa’s first shot at goal five minutes into the game. The Goan side were a whisker away from taking the lead five minutes later when Leo Moura split open the Pune’s defence. Thongkhosiem Haokip got his toe to Moura’s exquisite pass ahead of an out-rushing Steven Simonsen as the ball trickled goal-wards but a last-ditched sliding clearance by Johnson denied Goa.
Joaquim Abranches should have hit the target in the 19th minute, but shot wide as Goa grew in confidence. Dessai beat Simonsen but hit Pune’s crossbar minutes later with the Gaurs absolutely dominating proceedings.
FC Pune City had to wait till the 36th minute to get their first attempt on target. It came from a corner when a ball fell to their top-scorer Kalu Uche with his back to goal. The Nigerian striker tried to catch out Simonsen with a cheeky back-heel, but the Englishman was equal to the task and cleared safely.
A beautifully hit Nicky Shorey free-kick into the box found Tuncay Sanli’s head just before the break. His effort though flew over Goa’s goal summing up his side’s half as FC Goa head coach Zico and his side were visibly disheartened going in at half-time having failed to score.
Goa took the lead immediately after the restart. Jonatan Lucca put in a dangerous ball across Pune’s six-yard box with Romeo Fernandes shooting across the face of goal from the right. Johnson, who made a goal-line clearance in the first period, stuck a leg out and netted into his own goal as the home team finally got their noses in front.
Uche almost drew level for FC Pune City two minutes later but he hit the goalpost. Lenny Rodrigues was next to have a pop at the Goa goal as the visitors upped the tempo in search of an equalizer. Goa should have been 2-0 up in the 59th minute but keeper Simonsen was in inspired form and saved from Dessai first which led to a corner. The resulting corner saw the Englishman save another (from a Luciano Sobrosa header), leading to another corner. The Goans were relentless as Lucio headed the following corner straight at the Pune keeper’s grateful hands to finally avert the danger.
FC Pune City made Goa pay for missing their string of chances four minutes later when Lyngdoh found himself on the end of a cross by substitute Wesley Verhoek. Lyngdoh’s towering header gave FC Goa’s keeper no chance as the Stallions made it 1-1.
It was end-to-end stuff from here on as both sides went on in search of a winner. Dessai put in a wicked cut-back from the left that could have easily ended up in goal, had any of his team-mates making a run into the box held their runs. While Jackichand Singh nearly made it 2-1 for the visitors by firing in a curler after cutting in from the left.
Both sides tried to clinch all three points in the four minutes of additional time, however, the score remained at 1-1 as FC Pune City consolidated their top spot, while FC Goa moved up to third.
Match awards:
Club Award: Shared by FC Goa and FC Pune City
Amul Fittest Player of the Match: Eugeneson Lyngdoh (FC Pune City) (Watch here)
Swift Moment of the Match: Steve Simonsen (FC Pune City) (Watch here)
ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Thongkhosiem Haokip (FC Goa)
Hero of the Match: Mandar Rao Dessai (FC Goa)
Preview, Match 27: Mumbai look to create history against Kolkata
The 2015 Hero Indian Super League’s form team Mumbai City FC host reigning champions Atlético de Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. The two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as recent results are concerned with Mumbai City FC winning their last three encounters and Atlético de Kolkata losing their last three matches. Mumbai City FC will be looking to create history by making it four wins on the trot – a feat no other side has managed to accomplish so far. It promises to be a captivating game with both side’s aiming for a win.
Mumbai City FC FC so far: L-D-L-W-W-W
Atlético de Kolkata FC so far: W-D-W-L-L-L
Head-to-Head: Both sides won their home fixture against each other last season. Atlético de Kolkata won 3-1 against Mumbai City FC in the inaugural match of the Hero ISL last season and then Mumbai City FC returned the favour with a 2-1 victory at home.
Sunil Chhetri vs Tiri
Sunil Chhetri has to be player of the 2015 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the moment. It is of little surprise that Mumbai City FC’s recent turn in fortune has coincided with Chettri hitting form. India’s all-time top scorer has netted six times for Mumbai since returning from national duty. Atlético de Kolkata’s defence can expect to have their hands full with Chhetri spearheading Mumbai’s attack.
With Josemi out injured for ATK, Tiri has slotted in alongside Arnab Mondal to form a strong centre-back pairing for Kolkata. The Spaniard has completed a jaw-dropping 35 clearances in his three outings for Atlético so far and has also looked comfortable in possession with a passing accuracy of 83% to validate his ball retention skills.
Gabriel Fernandes vs Ofentse Nato
Gabriel Fernandes has had a brilliant season for Mumbai City FC thus far. The fleet-footed winger has attempted 24 crosses for his side, making him second only to Sony Norde who has attempted 27 crosses for Mumbai City FC from the opposite flank. Not one to shy away from a tackle either, Fernandes has made 19 tackles at the centre of the park.
A part of Atlético de Kolkata’s midfield since Season 1, Ofentse Nato’s defensive instincts make him a key component to the ATK setup. The 26-year-old defensive midfielder’s judicious use of the ball plays a vital role in Kolkata controlling the midfield. Nato has made 11 tackles, 17 clearances and has a passing accuracy of 84% for Atlético this season.
Pavel Cmovs vs Sushil Kumar Singh
The only Mumbai City FC player to have featured every minute of his side’s campaign after six games, Pavel Cmovs has been a wall at the back for Mumbai this year. Calm under pressure, the 25-year-old has made more clearances than any other player from Mumbai (47). His ability to sniff out danger and break down opposition attacks have also seen him make 11 clearances as well as 11 blocks this year.
Sushil Kumar Singh is likely to get a start up front in the absence of marquee man Helder Postiga through injury. Goals have been a cause of concern for Kolkata this season, with Iain Hume yet to open his account and Valdo also sidelined with injury. Kumar must step up and make the most of his opportunities with other key men missing from ATK’s attack.
Quotes:
No easy game. It’s going to be hard, it’s a good team even if it’s hard for them right now. We had this hard time as well in the beginning when we started. Now it’s going to be hard. Like I said it’s a good team, they play good football so we’ll see: Mumbai marquee player-cum-coach Nicolas Anelka
It is not a difficult task. It happens in the world of football. We’ll make a comeback: ATK assistant coach Bastab Roy
Squads:
Mumbai City FC: Subrata Paul, Albino Gomes, Debjit Majumder, Kinshuk Debnath, Darren O’Dea, Pavel Čmovš, Keegan Pereira, Lalchhuanmawia Fanai (Chhuantea), Frantz Bertin, Rowilson Rodrigues, Airtor Fernandez Lopez, Gabriel Fernandes, Juan Aguilera Nunez, Brandon Fernandes, André Francisco Moritz, Selim Benachour, Cristian Bustos, Sarang Singh, Pratesh Shirodkar, Sampath Kumar Kuttymani, Ashutosh Mehta, Singam Subash Singh, Nicolas Anelka (Marquee & Manager), Sony Norde, Sunil Chhetri, Frederic Piquionne
Atlético de Kolkata: Amrinder Singh, Juan Calatayud, Kunzang Bhutia (Lachungpa), Arnab Mondal, Denzil Franco, Nallappan Mohanraj, Syed Rahim Nabi, José Miguel González Rey (Josemi), José Luis Espinosa Arroyo (Tiri), Rino Anto, Lalchhawnkima, Augustin Fernandes, Sheikh Jewel Raja, Clifford Miranda, Borja Fernández, Ofentse Nato, Jaime Gavilan Martinez, Sameehg Doutie, Arata Izumi, Javier 'Javi' Lara Grande, Valmiro Lopes Rocha, Baljit Sahni, Nadong Bhutia, Hélder Postiga (marquee player), Sushil Kumar Singh, Iain Hume
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