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FC Goa registered yet another draw with a 1-1 result against SC East Bengal in the 75th match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday. The Gaurs took a first-half lead, but the Kolkata giants played them off the park for the remainder of the game at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, Goa.
First-half
The game got off to a rapid start as SC East Bengal were awarded a penalty in the very first minute. A bit of clumsy defending from FC Goa let Narayan Das inside the box, with Mohamed Ali bringing him down. However, Anthony Pilkington sent the resultant spot-kick wide even as goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh went the wrong way.
SC East Bengal continued to assert their dominance, especially as FC Goa custodian Dheeraj Singh looked extremely nervous between the sticks. The youngster missed a Pilkington corner-kick, but Adil Khan eventually came to the team’s rescue with a clearance.
The game became quite end-to-end as SC East Bengal star Bright Enobakhare started weaving his magic on the right flank. The Nigerian played a low ball to Pilkington, but the latter's flicked shot was cleared off the line. Even though SC East Bengal had the better chances until that point, it was FC Goa who took the lead through Igor Angulo.
A through ball from Alberto Noguera found Angulo, who rounded off the goalkeeper to find the back of the net. Three minutes later, Bright created chaos in the FC Goa box before finding Jeje Lalpekhlua, who failed to hit the target.
Second-half
FC Goa started positively after the break as they targeted SC East Bengal left-back Narayan Das, but there wasn’t any massive chance in the early minutes. The Kolkata giants came into the picture in the 56th minute when Narayan delivered a fine cross to Pilkington, but the Irishman’s shot was deflected over the crossbar. A minute later, Bright used his pace and trickery to set up Wahengbam Angousana, whose shot went way over the target.
The game became quite scrappy as the FC Goa players brought down Bright and other SC East Bengal players on numerous occasions. The ISL debutants eventually equalized in the 65th minute through Daniel Fox. The chance fell the defender's way after Pilkington’s free-kick was poorly handled by Dheeraj and the FC Goa defenders.
The Gaurs suffered another blow as skipper Edu Bedia was sent off for a poor tackle on Pilkington. Just four minutes earlier, Bedia was handed a yellow card for another challenge on the Irishman.
Dheeraj redeemed himself to an extent as he produced a fantastic low save to deny substitute Harmanpreet Singh's shot. The game’s intensity reached another level after the cooling break when Bright made a dazzling run into the FC Goa box before being brought down by Saviour Gama. However, the referee surprisingly didn’t point to the spot and waved play on.
SC East Bengal could have nicked the game in injury-time, but Dheeraj displayed his superb shot-stopping skills again to deny Harmanpreet Singh. In the end, the game ended as quite an eventful draw.
ISL 2020-21, FCG vs SCEB: Who was the Hero of the Match?
SC East Bengal's Bright Enobakhare was named the ‘Hero of the Match’ for leaving the FC Goa players flabbergasted on several occasions. The Nigerian is undoubtedly one of the best players in the ISL.
After impressing in the first-half, the Bright was on a different level for the remainder of the match. He completed eight successful dribble attempts while maintaining a passing accuracy of 84.5%. It was a travesty that Bright didn’t register a goal or an assist.
