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FC Goa edged past a young and jubilant Indian Arrows team at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar to secure a quarter-final place in the Hero Super Cup. After a thrilling 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC in the qualifiers, Floyd Pinto’s army was outclassed by the Indian Super League finalists.
After an evenly poised first 15 minutes, FC Goa broke the deadlock in the 18th minute of the match. Hugo Boumous made it 2-0 just after the hour mark while Deepak Tangri’s own goal late in the second half ensured FC Goa’s entry to the quarter-finals if the Hero Super Cup.
Let us have a look at the 5 talking points from the match between Indian Arrows and FC Goa:
#5 Indian Arrows' never say die attitude
The Indian colts started from where they left during the match against Kerala Blasters FC. The energetic boys owned the game from the starting whistle, passing the ball around with ease in the first quarter of the game. Skipper Amarjit marshaled his troops with perfection and the forwards penetrated into the opponents half quite often but the final punch was lacking in their game.
The hallmark of their game was how they pressed on hard even when the possession was not with them. The intent was clear from Pinto’s boys; they were not giving away an inch to the ‘Gaurs’. Their intent earned them to hold of loose balls throughout the match, which was pretty impressive to see.
Even though the Arrows conceded the first goal in the match in the 18th minute, their attitude did not change. Defenders Deepak Tyangri and Boris Singh also played their part, they were effective more most part of the game except the goals they swallowed. It was another sparkling performance from the young boys who have a bright future ahead.
#4 FC Goa's penalty
Just when FC Goa was starting to get back into the game, after a 15-minute dominance from the Indian Arrows, they were awarded a controversial penalty which could have easily been the other way round. The decision by Rahul Kumar Gupta may have raised a few eyebrows.
Zaid Krouch’s volley was blocked by Sanjiv Stalin inside the box, which looked unintentional from a neutral point of view. The youngster turned his body as soon as he realized that Zaid was taking a shot. The ball brushed off his hand and went away, the referee was quick with his decision and pointed towards the spot.
Hugo Boumous, Indian Super League’s most valuable player did not make a mistake and slotted the ball past shot stopper Prabsukhan Gill to make it 1-0 for the ‘Gaurs’ in the 18th minute of the match. This goal was a kind of a turning point in the game as Sergio Lobera’s team got back their lost touch following the incident.
#3 Excellent midfield display from FC Goa
Even though Ferran Corominas hogged most of the limelight throughout the season in the Indian Super League, playmakers Hugo Boumous and Edu Bedia have also played exceptional football in their respective departments. They proved it once again on Saturday evening.
Both of them held their midfield together, distributed balls towards the wings and also upfront. Lenny Rodriguez also aided them when needed, but the passing between the two foreigners was sublime. It was probably the difference between the two teams. Even though the colts were very swift along the ground and played at a nice pace, the experienced FC Goa players made sure they have the last laugh.
Hugo Boumous scored the second goal for FC Goa, with a clinical finish as the ball sailed into the net after a small deflection from an Arrows defender. For a change, the assist was given by Ferran Corominas, an inch-perfect through ball which found Hugo’s feet.
#2 Indian Arrows' misfiring in the attacking third
Amarjit Singh and Co. did most of the things correctly at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday, but somehow the inexperience is still visible in their game. Overdribbling several times, lack of coordination and most importantly the finishing has been the main drawback.
Around the 50th minute, Meitei got hold of a loose ball with only the goalkeeper to beat, probably the easiest chance of the game, but the left-footed shot was saved by FC Goa’s custodian. It was a clear case of lapse of concentration at crunch moments, an area Floyd Pinto should work on.
Even the third goal was due to an elementary mistake made by Arrows’ defender Deepak Tangri, which eventually was awarded as an own goal. In spite of these, credit had to be given to Floyd Pinto on how he managed the entire team throughout the season. They were impressive in the I-League finishing ahead of Gokulam Kerala FC, Shillong Lajong FC and defending champions Minerva Punjab FC.
#1 'Coro' to the rescue
Ferran Corominas once again was the star of the show as he has been so many times for his team in the Indian Super League. Even though Edu Bedia was given the ‘man of the match’ award, it was Coro who made the who was directly involved in two out of three goals scored by FC Goa.
The goal scored from the penalty spot was a cakewalk for the Spaniard, having deceived the goalkeeper towards the other direction, drawing first blood for the Goa-based club. He gave the assist for the second goal after receiving a ball from Brandon. The inch-perfect through ball from Coro was received by Hugo Boumous, who doubled the lead with half an hour to go.
After a disappointing 0-1 loss to Bengaluru FC in the final of the Indian Super League, this will be an opportunity for them to earn a silverware this season. For that to happen, Coro will be a vital cog in the team in the future matches along with other foreigners like Hugo Boumous and Edu Bedia.
