NorthEast United FC defeated FC Goa 2-0 in a one-sided ISL League match at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Guwahati. Emiliano Alfaro scored both the goals for the Highlanders while former Indian goalkeeper Subrata Paul made some brilliant saves throughout the match. Here, we take a look at the five talking points during the match.
#1 Kattimani needs to get his confidence back
The experienced Kerala shot-stopper made a shambolic error to gift NorthEast United FC the first goal. The Dempo FC goalkeeper messed up in controlling an easy back-pass and gave a lot of time to NUEFC striker Alfaro to put himself under undue pressure. The striker chased the ball, forced the error and blocked a pass from the erring goalkeeper which resulted in a goal.
For the second goal, Emiliano rounded the goalkeeper and scored with a brilliant finish in between the legs of the goalkeeper. Kattimani, usually confident and imposing, had an off-day under the bars.
He started almost all matches last season for FC Goa and Zico would hope that the 27-year-old gets his act right as soon as possible. The goalkeeper also made other errors in the match, which might worry the Brazilian coach in the long run.
#2 Alfaro and Katsumi make a good pair up-front for NEUFC
The hard-working Emiliano Alfaro gave a hard time to the famed FC Goa defence, keeping Lucio and his defensive team-mates on their toes. The Uruguayan striker looked convincing with the ball on the ground and scored the two goals.
Diminutive and averagely built, the striker ran at defenders constantly, making it difficult for the FC Goa defence to settle down. The second goal also proved his credentials at finishing chances, winning him the man-of-the-match.
Katsumi Yusa, Mohun Bagan’s Japanese playmaker, forms the ideal foil for Emiliano. Playing behind the striker in the No. 10 role, the Japanese received great crowd support whenever he got the ball at his feet. Scoring the winning goal in the last game has certainly added to Katsumi’s confidence, and he made life difficult for FC Goa with some attacking runs throughout the game.
Both the players, though, had one very important thing in common. The attacking pair always ran down and helped their teammates while defending. With such high work-rates, we might see Alfaro keeping Nico Velez out of the team in the future. Velez, however, had some confident moments by the end of the match, coming on as a substitute.
#3 FC Goa missed their box-to-box midfielder Leo Moura
FC Goa are missing an enforcer in the middle of the park. Richarlyson and Jofre are creative players, but not in the mould of Leo Moura. The current Santa Cruz midfielder was the chief midfielder last season for Zico’s men as they reached the finals.
With 8 assists and 825 successful passes (the most in the league), Moura had an incredible effect on the FC Goa side. Zico has his task cut out to fill the void made by his former talisman. It is quite obvious that the new team would take time to gel on the field, but it is inevitable that the Goa missed the calming and leading presence of the Brazilian on the pitch.
With Coelho looking out-of-sorts, the experienced Jofre needs to step up his game to lead his side and be the creator-in-chief. With games against Pune City and Chennaiyin FC up next, the Goan side would look at the former Atletico de Kolkata player to lead the side in the attacking third.
#4 New signings make the NEUFC defence look stable
For a team which leaked in 23 goals last season, Nelo Vingada had a task at hand to strengthen his team’s defensive abilities. The arrival of Subrata Paul looks like a master-stroke from the Portuguese gaffer who has made the former Indian goal-keeper the leading line of his defence.
With brilliant saves from Jofre, Matheus Trindade and various other confident collections throughout the game, Subrata had a brilliant outing. The arrival of Gustavo Lazzaretti and Mailson Alves also helps the cause of a team which had finished the first season of ISL at the bottom of the table.
With such stability at the back, the likes of Emiliano Alfaro, Nicolas Velez, Katsumi Yusa and Holicharan Narzary would be expected to create and convert chances in the attacking third.
#5 NEUFC won the battle in the midfield
It might not be incorrect to say that the FC Goa midfield was fairly ineffective in the game, but it would be unfair to take anything away from the three-man midfield of NEUFC comprising Rowllin Borges, Romaric and Wellington Priori. Rowllin played his role of the shield in front of the defence to perfection throughout the game, breaking down several attacks and also played several key passes in the attacking third.
The Goan was ably supported from Romaric and Wellington Priori, who controlled the pace of the game with some smart running and confident spreading of the ball throughout the pitch. Wellington’s threaded through-ball to Velez was one of the moments of the match and could have ended in Emiliano’s hat-trick. Such was the effect of the troika that the opposition was almost outplayed on the pitch.
The match was lop-sided, with NorthEast United FC completely out-playing FC Goa. The side looks composed while defending and has enough attacking flair to give opposition defenders a run for their money. With confident displays in both the outings, NEUFC looks well-seated to have a better season this term.
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