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FC Goa ferociously thumped Mumbai FC 5-0, in what seemed to be a one-sided affair. Even though Mumbai had their share of chances, their poor conversion rate made it difficult for them to keep up with their attacking rivals. The Gaurs put up a terrific show in their den at Fatorda making it difficult for Mumbai City from the start.
FC Goa keeper Mohammad Nawaz was excellent between the sticks and made no mistakes thus claiming their maiden clean sheet of the season. Ferran Corominas and Edu Bedia were on another level creating havoc for the Mumbai City defence. The Goan side, who are known for their tiki-taka style of play, went all out from the word go and scored their first through Coro’s spot kick. There was no stopping for FC Goa with the start of the second half. Jackichand went on to score the second goal after Seriton rolled in a perfect ball for him from the right flank and the former made no mistake to convert it.
The goal scoring tally only increased with every passing minute. Coro and Edu Bedia combined well as the latter converted with an outstanding out-foot in the top corner and made it 3-0 for his side in the 61st minute.
The Goan side brought in their new signing Miguel Fernandez, who scored the first goal for his side when he controlled a ball brilliantly laced in by Ahmed Jahouh at the far post and slotted it home. Manvir Singh unselfishly squared the ball to Fernandez after he won it from the backline, the latter made no mistake to convert it, taking the final tally to 5-0.
Even though Mumbai City FC tried to open an account, the misfiring in front of the goal cost them dearly. The huge win took Goa to the top of the table with a superior goal difference while the Mumbai side moved down.
Hit: Mohammad Nawaz
FC Goa had a tough time last season with their experienced keeper Laxmikant Kattimani who made a dozen blunders in the goal and hence the keeper lost the favour of the coach and the fans after a bad season.
The youngster Mohammad Nawaz who replaced him later on proved to be vital at the goal. Though inexperienced, Nawaz showed maturity in front of the goal in their match against Mumbai City FC claiming the first clean sheet for his side. If it wasn’t for the keeper, the sloppy Goan defence could have conceded a few goals making it a different story from what we read today. A dozen of back passes and miss passes to the keeper made the fans skip a heartbeat as one could hear a ‘sigh of relief’ time and again.
One thing FC Goa have to work on is their defence but as for the keeper, the youngster can pull it off through the season. Mumbai City almost pulled back a few times before the keeper came to the rescue. A free kick from a dangerous position in the dying minutes of the game would’ve cost FC Goa as Paulo Machado executed the set-piece brilliantly but Mohammad Nawaz made a mind-blowing save to parry the ball over the crossbar.
Flop: Sauvik Chakrabarti
Sauvik Chakrabarti walked the entire match on a tightrope after he picked a yellow card in the 6th minute of play. With their attacking tactics, FC Goa's attack broke the rival defence as Coro rushed with the ball inside the danger box, it was Sauvik who did the butchers job of cutting out Coro from scoring with a clear shot at the goal, however, the harsh tackle attracted a yellow card and a penalty to FC Goa which was converted effortlessly by Coro.
The defender who has picked up two yellow cards in the tournaments made very little amends in the match later on with a below average performance. The former Delhi Dynamos defender who helped them get into the semi-finals in 2015 and 2016 managed to contribute a few crosses upfront for Mumbai City but his teammates were unable to get at the back of the ball. It was a bad day for the Mumbai side with the sloppy defending and the below average performances from the back-line. The Gaurs took advantage of the situation as they thumped Mumbai City to a humiliating 5-0 scoreline punishing them for their mistakes.
Hit: Ferran Corominas
FC Goa’s target man has always brought about cheers to his fans. Coro stepped up yet again and didn’t fail to impress against Mumbai City FC. Right from the start the striker created havoc for the ‘Mumbaikars’ and managed to win a penalty after Sauvik brought him down inside the box. The star striker stepped up calm and composed as he sent Amrinder Singh the wrong way to give his side the deserved lead. Coro was instrumental in another goal as he assisted Edu for his team’s third before he was subbed off.
With Coro on the attack lines, there is very little to worry about when it comes to goals as the in-form striker continues to deliver time and again, putting up a brilliant performance with every passing game. Everything said about the striker can be an understatement with the qualities he possesses and his ability to score goals makes him one of the best in ISL. Coro was brought down in the box twice in the second half by Subhasish but the referee chose to turn a blind eye on the incidents. The striker has scored 4 goals in 3 matches and is on par with Bartholomew Ogbeche in the goal scoring charts.
Flop: Rafael Bastos
Though the game was dominated by the Gaurs, the Mumbai side had their fair share of chances, however, the misfiring players cost Mumbai dearly. Rafael Bastos was quite the wasteful striker in the match with a couple of missed chances at the goal.
Subhasish played a long ball to Rafael at the goal, however, the striker instead of slotting the ball past the keeper dragged it and shot across the face of the goal thus missing a golden opportunity to open the tally for his side. The Goan side almost gifted Mumbai City a goal as Lenny Rodrigues played a ball at the back without looking, even though Rafael failed to win the ball, Subhasish played him a forward pass but the former faltered at the goal as he shot wide leaving behind yet another chance.
Even though Bastos constantly troubled the rival defence with his threatening runs inside the box and his alert presence during the match, the striker failed to make an impact on the game as he faltered in front of the goal time and again having no impact at all on the scoreboard. Bastos has scored one goal in the competition and is yet to make a mark.
Hit: Edu Bedia
Edu has been the star for the Gaurs since he joined the team and works brilliantly in the middle as the playmaker. Edu was rightly judged as the Hero of the match after his excellent performance against Mumbai City. The midfielder has 2 goals to his name as he scored in the last two consecutive matches. With his ability to pass the ball and a vision in the game Edu is an asset for the Gaurs. The midfielder possesses both attacking and defending prowess and is quite exquisite when it comes to playing in any position on the field.
The spectacular give-and-go passing between Coro and Edu gave FC Goa their third goal as he scored a brilliant out-footer past Amrinder and the bunny celebrations followed. The versatility of the player on the field is something that he has to be credited for. Edu had a couple of key passes in their match against Mumbai City. The combination play between Edu and Coro has become stronger and it seems like Lanzarote’s void is being filled by the impactful midfielder. In another attempt, Coro laid the ball to Edu from around 25 yards out but the latter shot it just above the goal.
