ISL 2018-19: FC Pune City 2-0 FC Goa - 5 Hits and Flops

By Abhishek Kundu
Modified Dec 12, 2018 13:54 IST
FC Pune City upset FC Goa [Image: ISL]
FC Pune City upset FC Goa [Image: ISL]

FC Pune City overcame FC Goa 2-0 at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune. The first half was comparatively drab with respect to the second one where both the goals were scored. Marcelo Pereira drew first blood for the home side by finding the back of the net through a thunderous screamer at the 74th minute. Substitute Marko Stankovic sealed the deal for them at the dying embers of the game by converting a spot kick.

The win takes FC Pune City to the seventh position with 11 points from 12 games, keeping their hopes of making it to the playoffs mathematically alive. FC Goa, on the other hand, remain on the fourth position with 17 points from 10 games. They will next face NorthEast United FC on 14th December at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati.

These players played a key role in deciding the outcome of the match, either in a good or in a bad way. Without any further ado, here are the 5 hits and flops from the game between FC Pune City and FC Goa.

#5 Hit: Mohammad Nawaz

The 18-year-old was terrific in between the sticks despite letting in 2 goals [Image: ISL]
The 18-year-old was terrific in between the sticks despite letting in 2 goals [Image: ISL]

FC Goa's Mohammad Nawaz showed Sergio Lobera that he has transformed into a better player with his keen sense of positioning and acrobatic saves.

At the 31st minute, Marcelinho cut through Seriton Fernandes and looked to pass it towards an onrushing player before Nawaz parried away the danger. Much of Pune's attacks came from the left wing as Nim Dorjee Tamang tried to head in Kuruniyan's cross at the 56th minute, but the young goalkeeper again came to the rescue.

15 minutes later, he again thwarted away Marcelinho's shot before being eventually beaten by him three minutes later. The 18-year-old has grown leaps and bounds since his howler in the debut where he let Gallego score due to his naivety. With 8 more league games to come, he will further grow.

Here is the save he produced at the 71st minute:

#4 Flop Mohamed Ali

Mohamed Ali's ill-disciplined approach prevailed in the dying embers of the game [Image: ISL
Mohamed Ali's ill-disciplined approach prevailed in the dying embers of the game [Image: ISL]

Mohamed Ali's lack of keeping his cool during the game again haunted FC Goa at the dying embers of the game. The 26-year-old was given the marching orders in his previous game against Bengaluru FC after getting two yellow cards. After serving a suspension, he made his way back to the playing eleven but showed that he is yet to learn a thing.

Pradhyum Reddy brought in Marko Stankovic in place of Iain Hume at the 90th minute to wind down the clock. Little did he know that the Austrian would transform into a super-sub.

Mohamed Ali wrapped his arm around Stankovic inside the penalty box at the last minute of added time and took him down. The referee pointed towards the spot and gave him a yellow card.

The goal not only denied any chance of a comeback for the visitors but also hampered the morale of the team immensely. If he continues to make ill-timed fouls, he would lose his spot to Chinglensana Singh.

#3 Hit: Kamaljit Singh

Kamaljit Singh in action [Image: ISL]
Kamaljit Singh in action [Image: ISL]

While the fans will always remember Marcelinho's thunderous screamer that bifurcated the two sides, FC Pune City's goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh also needs to be given his due credit. Keeping a clean sheet against FC Goa is no joke and, the 22-year-old had to pull out a string of acrobatic saves to deny them finding the back of the net.

The first of these came in the 21st minute when Brandon Fernandes was one-on-one with him after collecting a deep through ball from Ahmed Jahouh from the defensive midfield. The youngster narrowed the angle and parried away the shot.

From the resulting corner kick, Adil Khan almost headed the ball towards his own goal, but Kamaljeet tipped the ball away before the defensive midfielder cleared it out. Before Marcelinho scored the scorcher, Ahmed Jahouh tried something similar from outside the box. However, Kamaljeet had enough power in his fists to punch it away.

Here are the saves he pulled off against FC Goa:

#2 Flop: Ferran Corominas

Coro failed to live up to his expectations [Image: ISL
Coro failed to live up to his expectations [Image: ISL]

Ferran Corominas came into the match as the joint leading goalscorer with 8 goals from 8 matches. A lot was expected from the Spaniard especially against FC Pune City who let in 21 goals in their previous 11 matches.

Coro had failed to find the back of the net in their last three games and his dry spell continued. He was closed down by a lot of Orange bodies and rarely given any space to breathe. As the league is wearing out, the opposition defenders are becoming more wary of his threat and evolving to contain him.

In the match, he donned the role of the provider than taking the chances himself. The Gaurs will take on NorthEast United less than 72 hours after this game, and Coro cannot become a shadow of his former self if they want to qualify to the next round.

#1 Hit: Marcelo Pereira

Marcelinho's screamer changed the complexion of the game [Image: ISL]
Marcelinho's screamer changed the complexion of the game [Image: ISL]

Throughout the season, Marcelinho looked like a shadow of his former self. In the 2016-17 season, he was the top goalscorer of the league with Delhi Dynamos and, in the succeeding season, he created directly more than 50% of the goals.

However, heading into the match, he only scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in the 708 minutes he had played. FC Goa wrote off his danger and the Spaniard made them pay dearly.

At the 31st minute, he brilliantly cut through Seriton Fernandes and slid the ball towards an onrushing teammate. However, Nawaz positioned himself perfectly to parry away the danger. At the 71st minute, he was one-on-one with the keeper again, but the 18-year-old pulled off an acrobatic save to deny the goal.

Marcelinho finally got the better of Mohammad Nawaz three minutes later after shooting a thunderous screamer 30 yards away. The goalkeeper did get a fingertip to the ball, but the shot had so much venom in it that it brushed past his glove.

Here you can witness the brilliant performance of the Brazilian:

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