FC GOA continued with their scoring spree by putting the 10 men of Delhi Dynamos FC to the sword with a 5-1 score-line at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Saturday. The Spanish contingent weaved their magic to good effect as Ferran Corominas, Manuel Lanzarote, Adrian Colunga and Manuel Arana all scored to add to a Pritam Kotal own goal. Kalu Uche scored the sole consolation goal for the Lions, while defender Gabriel Cichero was sent off midway through the second half.
The pace of the game was pretty much even to begin with as both the teams took turns to launch attacks into their opponents’ half. It was the Gaurs who agonizingly missed taking the lead in the 12th minute. Corominas put in a nice pass to Mandar Rao Dessai, whose delightful first touch took it away form the defender and put him through on goal. His powerful shot which although beat custodian Sukhdev Patil, rattled the crossbar.
Just on the half hour mark, some lovely movement from the Lions brought them two great chances. First, Pritam Kotal was fed the ball on the right flank and he in turn fed Kalu Uche in the centre, whose outstretched foot missed it by a whisker. Next, from another attack, Paulinho Dias set himself up for a volley, which he struck with ferocity. But with goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani rooted to the spot, the ball struck the underside of the bar.
Added time of the first half however brought two goals in succession, as Goa struck against the run of play, and both involving their trending Spanish combination. The first was scored by Corominas, when he showed good poacher’s instinct to stab home the ball after a freekick floated in by Lanzarote, ricocheted off the Delhi defence.
The very next minute, Edu Bedia nicked the ball from Vinit Rai in midfield and gave it to Corominas, who this time turned provider when he fed it through to Lanzarote. The latter saw Patil off his lines and delightfully curled the ball over him to double the Gaurs’ advantage. The half thus ended in a breathtaking fashion as the visitors went into the break with a two-goal cushion.
Delhi started the second period with purpose and deservedly pulled a goal back a couple of minutes after the hour mark. Jeroen Lumu played in a lovely through ball that pierced the defence and found Romeo Fernandes. He in turn put the ball across the face of the goal and Uche had the simplest of tasks to tap it home.
Substitute Adrian Colunga nearly got back the two-goal lead for Goa two minutes later, but his left-footed curler just about missed the target. But just when Delhi were growing in confidence, the 66th minute saw Cichero pick up a second yellow for his tackle on Dessai. Consequently, he became the third player during the match week to be given his marching order.
Goa took full advantage of their man advantage when they struck once more netting two in the span of another two minutes. Jahouh put in a teasing delivery across the goal in the 84th minute, and Pritam Kotal, under pressure from Colunga, turned the ball into his own net.
Colunga, however, would get his debut goal when he combined with another substitute, Manuel Arana in the very next minute. The latter floated in a delightful cross from the right flank, and Colunga smashed the ball home with a first-time volley.
Things further worsened for the Lions as two minutes from time, the two substitute Spaniards combined again for Goa’s fifth. Colunga’s shot proved to be too hot for Patil, who spilled it and Arana was at hand to smash the rebound home. That completed another rout for Goa as they went top of the table with an emphatic 5-1 win.
Hero Indian Super League website report