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FC Goa coasted to a comfortable 2-0 win at home against a new-look Delhi Dynamos side, who never looked threatening enough. Two first half goals were enough to take Zico’s men home, as they picked up all three points in front of a vocal Goan crowd, who cheered them on throughout the game. Let’s take a look at five talking points from the game!
#1 Delhi\'s starting XI
As soon as the line-ups were declared, Delhi’s starting eleven looked strange to say the least, and viewers were waiting eagerly to see which player would end up playing where on the pitch. There were some major absentees in the XI chosen by Roberto Carlos, with Gustavo dos Santos and Adil Nabi starting on the bench for the Dynamos. Given the injuries to the Delhi keepers, it was Sanjiban Ghosh who started between the sticks, just a few days after his signing was announced.
Another point that stood out was the positions in which some of the Delhi Dynamos men were playing, with three players starting off in roles in which they normally do not play. Chicao, who is primarily a centre-back, was played as a holding midfielder by his Brazilian coach. Riise, who is accustomed to playing anywhere down the left wing, started off as a left-sided centre-back so that he can influence the game more and provide support to Anwar Ali.
Also, Adinga Ralte, who normally plays as a playmaking fielder or a winger for his I-League team was picked to play at left-back! Despite Carlos and dos Santos coming on in the second half, they could not make much of a difference as Goa ran out as comfortable winners.
#2 Difference in defensive capabilities
At the end of the 90 minutes, it can be said that the defences of the team made the real difference in the game. Delhi started off with a back four consisting of three Indian players and out of the four, two were out of position. On the other hand, the Goan team had Lucio and Gregory Arnolin, two stalwarts at the heart of their defence, flanked by two Indian full-backs.
As soon as the game began, Delhi’s defense looked shaky as the FC Goa players were continuously allowed to get in behind. The first goal was a wonderful finish by Mandar Desai, but can be easily traced to bad defensive positioning and reactions. The second goal was a result of some schoolboy defending by the Dynamos from a set-piece at a dangerous angle. There was just one man in the wall and that too in the wrong position, and there was a lot of space left by the Delhi defenders in front of goal, which allowed the ball to be played in inside the six-yard box and Reinaldo easily stole passed his marker to put the ball in.
The Goan defense was a completely different story. The only moment of panic came when Delhi hit the post twice in a matter of seconds from Riise and Malouda, but other than that, the Lucio-led defense were solid and looked unthreatened. Both centre-backs showed their experience and class, while the full-backs did a great job of cutting out Delhi’s threat from the wings. Most of Delhi’s shots came from outside the penalty area, which were comfortably dealt with by keeper Elinton Andrade.
#3 Goa\'s magical wings
In the first half, Goa attacked through the wings, using the speed and skill of local boys Mandar Rao Desai and Romeo Fernandes to torment the Delhi defense and create some wonderful chances, which led to the first goal. Romeo was a livewire on the right side of the pitch and gave Adinga and Riise a hard time with his dribbling. On the left side, Mandar gave a wonderful performance, with a well-taken goal and some electric running past the Delhi defense.
The Delhi wingers - Vinicius and Shylo Mama, were expected to be the Dynamos’ main threats going into the game, but they were efficiently cut out by the Goa side. Shylo had a few misplaced passes and was ineffective, whereas the footvolley legend Vinicius failed to make his mark and was not allowed to influence the game.
#4 The quality of Indian players on display
Looking at the game as a whole, the performances by the Indian players on the pitch were of good quality. The Indian players who impressed the most were the Goan wingers, Romeo Fernandes and Mandar Rao Desai, who were a considerable attacking threat to the Delhi defense and crafted the first goal for their side. Both Goan fullbacks, Debabrata Roy and Keenan Almeida gave a great account of themselves and played an important role in cutting out Delhi’s attacking threats with some well-timed tackles. Even Denson Devdas, whose role was to sit in front of the back four, put in a great performance and added steel to the defense and helped start counter-attacks as well.
For the Delhi team, the only Indian player who excelled on the pitch was the newly-signed goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh, as he made some wonderful reflex saves and was good in one-one situations as well. Anwar Ali was somewhat disappointing, and Adinga Ralte, who was the man to watch out for according to Robin Singh, struggled to keep up with Romeo’s pace and was often left behind by the Goan winger.
Shouvik Ghosh, the right-back for the Dynamos had a howler of the game as he failed to block the first goal and botched up a few passes, which lead to the attacks consequently breaking down. Shylo, given all his experience and skill, didn’t do too well and missed some easy passes, despite some incisive runs into the penalty area.
#5 What next for Roberto Carlos?
The biggest talking point from this game will be the next step for Roberto Carlos. How will he react to this defeat? Will he tweak the defense after a bleak performance? And will he step onto the pitch more often? Let’s wait and see.
Carlos had promised attacking football from the Dynamos but suffered a serious setback as Delhi conceded an early goal. Malouda was given a free role behind Gadze, and was isolated at times on the pitch. With Lucio and Arnolin in the defense for Goa, Carlos sorely missed Robin Singh and his aerial abilities, as the Goan defenders comfortably dealt with what was thrown at them.
The Brazilian legend showed his frustration at his team’s performance in the first half and decided to bring himself on in the second, coming on in place of Mulder in the center of midfield. He played well and looked to add urgency to the team’s play, but could not help his team score. We did get to see a Carlos special freekick, which nearly went in through the keeper’s legs.
