5 Talking Points - FC Goa vs Atletico de Kolkata

Keenan Almeida celebrates FC Goa’s late equaliser (Image source: ISL)FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata played the first draw of the season, as the game ended 1-1 at the Fatorda stadium in Goa. Arata Izumi’s sublime volley gave Ateltico de Kolkata the lead in the 13th minute, while Keenan Almeida scored for the home side to earn them a point. Baljit Sahni of Atletico de Kolkata was sent off as he headbutted FC Goa’s Gregory. Both sides now have 4 points from two games.The game was not short of incidents that would be replayed after the game, but neither was it short on quality as both sides showed great resilience in defence while also making some dangerous moves in attack. It wasn’t a high scoring game but surely an entertaining one.Here are 5 talking points from the game:

#1 A heated affair

Gregory went down in dramatic fashion after being headbutted by Baljith Sahni (Image source: ISL)

Last time the two sides faced each other at the Fatorda stadium Fikru, who now plays for Chennaiyin FC, headbutted Gregory Arnolin of FC Goa and was later suspended for two matches and fined Rs 5,00,000. Atletico de Kolkata boss Antonio Habas and FC Goa marquee signing Robert Pires were also involved in a tunnel fight and it was claimed Pires was 'beaten and punched in the face' by Habas. It was no different this time, Baljit Sahni was sent off after he recieved a second yellow card as he headbutted FC Goa’s Gregory.

Altogether ten yellow cards were shown in the game, with FC Goa players getting 4 of those. The referee had a difficult night as both teams were pretty aggressive on the field and the players didn’t hesitate to make a tackle.

#2 Good result for ATK

Atletico de Kolkata have 4 points from 2 away games (Image source: ISL)

Atletico de Kolkata once again came out with a very good result on the road. The defending champions took the lead through Arata Izumi’s brilliant volley, but later were down to ten men after Baljit Sahni was sent off for a foul on Gregory, and were forced to play for more than 30 minutes with ten men. The players looked very organised and defended the ball well, despite FC Goa’s continuous attacks in the last half hour of the game.

Not many teams will take away even a point from the Fatorda stadium, as we saw in the last game as they defeated Delhi Dynamos 2-0. Atletico de Kolkata players and coaching staff should be happy with the point, and the way their team played. The defending champions now have 4 points from two away games against Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa.

#3 Red card changed the game

Baljith Sahni was sent off in the 62^nd minute (Image source: ISL

The game turned on its head after Baljith Sahni of Atletico de Kolkata was sent off as he headbutted FC Goa’s Gregory in the 62nd minute. The game was pretty balanced before his sending off, and Atletico de Kolkata were enjoying a lot of possession. The defending champions who later conceded from a brilliant strike Almeida had to settle for a point in the end, and didn’t seem interested in chasing a second goal.

FC Goa had six shots on target after Baljit’s sending off, while Altetico de Kolkata just took two shots. FC Goa kept bombarding the Kolkata goal from wide areas and eventually Mandar Desai’s cross was played by Reinaldo to Keenan Almeida, who fired the ball from his right foot past Atletico de Kolkata’s goalkeeper Arminder Singh.

#4 Indian players continue to impress

Izumi Arata opened the scoring on the night (Image source: ISL)

Six Indian players have scored in the first five games of the second edition of the Indian Super League. Atletico de Kolkata’s Arata Izumi had an Indian Super League debut to remember, the Pune FC midfielder scored a spectacular volley to give Atletico de Kolkata the lead. The Japanese born Indian footballer also won the Man of the Match award.

Keenan Almeida leveled for FC Goa in the 81st minute, with a brilliant shot from his right foot. The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for the national side. The other Indian goalscorers are Mandar Rao Desai, Mohammed Rafi, Jeje Lalpekhlua, and Israil Gurung. Pune City’s Israil Gurung also has two assists to his name, more than anyone else in the league. Indian national team boss Stephen Constantine will be hoping his players continue to shine on such a big platform.

#5 Defending champions\' good start

The defending champions play their next game at home (Image source: ISL)

Defending champions Atletico de Kolkata have started the season brilliantly, they now have four points from two away games. They started the season with a 3-2 win against Chennaiyin FC, and earned a point in a difficult game against FC Goa. Atletico de Kolkata’s boss Antonio Habas had to field a side with key players like Arnab Mondal, Rino Anto, and Helder Postiga missing the game. Atletico de Kolkata skipper Josemi was also on the bench, and was later brought on in the second half.

They’ll now be looking to get maximum points at home as they host last season’s finalists Kerala Blasters in their first home game of the season. FC Goa have also started decently with 4 points from two home games against Delhi Dynamos and Atletico de Kolkata, and will be playing again at home against Chennaiyin FC in their next game.