Atletico de Kolkata hosted FC Goa in the ISL 2016 tonight and it seemed like it might be an easy one for the home team. Goa was yet to put points on the board and Kolkata stood the chance of going on top of the table but the game ended on quite a different note. Sameehg Doutie’s spectacular volley in the opening minutes of the match gave ATK the lead but they lost out on all three points after Goa’s Jofre converted a penalty for his team.
Kolkata captain Borja Fernandez was his team’s worst enemy when he handled the ball inside his own box and gave Goa the chance to draw level with their opponents. Despite ATK’s numerous chances, Goa goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury was resolute in front of his goal. Eight yellow cards and two red cards made tonight’s fixture an interesting one to watch.
Here are five talking points from the game:
1. Abhinas Ruidas – Discovery of the match
21-year-old local boy Abhinas Ruidas was the discovery of the night. Making his debut for Atletico de Kolkata, the youngster impressed right through the night till he was sacrificed to bring on Bikramjit Singh after Pearson’s sending off. Ruidas exuded confidence and created havoc for Goa defenders along the left flank. He gave a spirited performance in front of home supporters and Molina should consider playing him more often.
His performance was relatively mistake-free and the string of step-overs in the first half would have even made Cristiano Ronaldo proud. Definitely one to look out for in the future, Ruidas was awarded the ‘Emerging Player’ award for the game.
2. Robin Singh had a night to forget
One of the new additions for FC Goa this season, Robin Singh is one of the Indian national team’s most prominent players. However, the Indian international had a night to forget. He seemed to be feeling the pressure to score from the very outset as he cut a frustrated figure on the pitch. He made hasty and careless challenges that eventually earned him a yellow card in the second half.
Despite his attempts to create chances for the team, ATK defenders were just too good for him. He missed a few shots on goal and one of them was outrageously off the mark. Goa coach Zico must have realised it wasn’t going to be Singh’s night and took him off soon after the one-hour mark.
3. Atletico’s strength lies in their attack
Atletico de Kolkata’s best attribute is their attackers. Iain Hume may be in the shadows this time and marquee player Helder Postiga is out of the running for the second season in a row but the team seem to be doing pretty well without their active influence. Lara has been the team’s saviour on many occasions and their only set-piece expert. His free kick indirectly led to Doutie’s outstanding goal and most of them were on point all night except the last one.
Both wingers, Doutie and newcomer Ruidas worked well with Lara and had some interesting link-up play with Hume. Even though ATK seemed in control for most of the game, the defenders seemed to switch off occasionally and it’s something that Molina needs to look into.
4. What seems to be Goa’s problem?
Goa didn’t have a single point this ISL season until tonight and after their display against Kolkata, it does not seem surprising. They have proven players like Jofre, Robin Singh and Rafael but they’re still a long way from working as a unit. Though they enjoyed slightly more possession than their opposition, they made very little of it in the final third. Anyone who watched the match tonight will agree that they were lucky to go away with the one point that they did get.
Thanks to Borja’s moment of madness, Joffre scored from the penalty spot. But their real hero of the night was their keeper Shubhashish who put in a brilliant display in front of goal. He didn’t have much to do in the first half but was kept busy during the second. He made some sensational saves which helped keep his team in the running. He jumped, dived, leapt, punched all night long quite admirably.
5. You get a card... you get a card... everyone gets a card!
In a very poor imitation of Oprah Winfrey, the referee for the night gave away quite a few cards to both sides including a sending off each for the home side and the visitors. The official set the tone for the game when he made two bookings within the first six minutes.
Once the precedent had been set, the cards came pouring in. Every infraction seemed excessive and the night ended with a total of eight players in the referee’s book not that it wasn’t deserved. Things got out of hand when new Atletico recruit Stephen Pearson was shown a direct red for a lunging tackle. While the foul was unmistakeable, the sending off seemed unnecessary.
After Atletico was reduced to 10 men, it was bottom place Goa’s turn to lose a man on the pitch. Sanjay Balmuchu had already seen yellow for a foul in the first half and signed his marching orders when he went in on Prabir Das in the second.
The numerous bookings made for a scrappy and interrupted game.
