ISL 2020-21, Hyderabad FC vs FC Goa: Who won yesterday's match?

Hyderabad FC went down by a 1-2 margin against FC Goa in the 43rd match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa. Aridane Santana put Hyderabad FC ahead but two late goals from Ishan Pandita and Igor Angulo gifted the three points to the Gaurs.

FC Goa and Hyderabad FC engage in a tactical battle

The game did start in an exciting manner with a Brandon Fernandes free-kick causing some confusion in the Hyderabad FC box. FC Goa defender James Donachie got the ball for a free header but he put it wide. Luckily, the linesman rose his flag for an off-side call. After that, the game turned into a chess match as both teams cancelled out each other with good organization.

Even after the cooling break, the game didn’t open up. But Hyderabad FC’s tactic to press Mohammad Nawaz and the rest of the FC Goa defense came across as a nice move. The best two chances of the half came in the final few minutes when Angulo headed out a superb Brandon Fernandes cross.

The second half turned out to be completely different as there were chances galore from the very first whistle. The substitute Mohammad Yasir looked lively while Akash Mishra also came up with an early shot after making a mazy run.

A few minutes later, Halicharan Narzary held off FC Goa full-back Saviour Gama and even dragged him out of position before clipping a superb pass to Joao Victor. It took the 54th minute for a shot on target to come but Victor couldn’t beat Mohammad Nawaz. The miss didn’t prove too costly as Aridane Santana soon put Hyderabad FC ahead with a superb header off an equally brilliant cross from Asish Rai.

Ishan Pandita scored the fastest goal by a substitute this season. Courtesy: ISL

At the other end, FC Goa were finding it difficult to break down Hyderabad FC’s defense and they were forced to make some substitutions. Much to Juan Ferrando's delight, substitute Ishan Pandita scored his first-ever ISL goal seconds after coming on. He met a sweet Edu Bedia delivery from a free-kick with a cracking header to leave Laxmikant Kattimani rooted at his spot.

Three minutes later, Mohammad Yasir could have regained the lead after getting hold of a loose pass from Aiban Dohling. But his curling shot went just wide of the target.

Unlike Joao Victor’s miss, Yasir’s miss proved to be costly as Igor Angulo twisted and turned before finding the back of the net in the first minute of stoppage time. This goal helped FC Goa win after trailing for the majority of the match.

ISL 2020-21, HFC vs FCG: Who was the Hero of the Match

Spanish forward Igor Angulo was chosen as the ‘Hero of the Match’ for the goal that helped FC Goa register a win and move onto the third spot in the points table. The 36-year-old hardly made any contributions in the first half and was even caught off-side a couple of times but it changed in the final few minutes of the match.

Angulo has such phases where he doesn’t feature much in the game. The Athletic Bilbao youth academy product drops into the midfield and tries to participate in the build-up but that isn’t his strength. Angulo is a poacher and that is why he has scored nine goals already. He showed great skills to drop the shoulder and turn away from Odei Onaindia before finding the winner in stoppage time.