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Muhammed Nemil's early goal helped defending champions FC Goa register a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Indian Air Force in the Durand Cup on Friday (August 19) at the Kishore Bharati Stadium.
The Gaurs did not have a great start to the competition as they went down against Mohammedan Sporting 3-1 in the opener.
FC Goa took the lead in the 34th minute, but the local side equalized in the 49th minute before sealing the game with twin strikes in the 84th and 93rd minute, respectively.
Coach Deggie Cardozo's men started the game on the front foot right from the get-go. The Gaurs were rewarded for their early adventures as Muhammed Nemil opened the scoring in the eighth minute after Mevan Dias broke down the right flank and cut the ball back into the center.
Nemil received the ball on the edge of the box and pulled the trigger to give his side the lead. This was the youngster's second goal in the competition.
Although the Gaurs bagged an early goal, both teams lacked the fight throughout to kill the game. As the minutes went by, the Indian Air Force, playing their first game of the tournament, grew in confidence and enjoyed spells of possession.
FC Goa see off valiant efforts from Indian Air Force
Coming out in the second-half, there was very little to choose between both the teams in terms of possession and attempts on target. However, the Airmen couldn't capitalize on their physical advantage. Though they tried to pelt in crosses from the flanks, the Air Force lacked enough men in the box to take advantage of those crosses.
In the closing 10 minutes, the Airmen had multiple chances to tie the score as they increased their effort in pursuit of an equalizer. Mohd Aqib initially struck the crossbar before being replaced by Prabhjot Singh, who then launched an incredible free kick that forced Goa shot-stopper Hrithik Tiwari into a spectacular save.
Despite their persistence throughout the dying minutes, the Indian Air Force failed to restore parity and FC Goa bagged home their first three points of the tournament.
