Goa outplay disorganized Delhi to start campaign with confident win
THE GAURS REGISTERED an emphatic 2-0 win over the Lions, in their season opening fixture at the Indian Super League tonight. An own goal from Delhi defender Souvik Chakraborty followed by a Jofre-created goal by Reinaldo sealed the game for Zico's FC Goa as Roberto Carlos-led Delhi Dynamos found themselves outplayed in every department.
As rain poured down on Fatorda for hours, the fans kept pouring out in big numbers to support the home team in their season opener against Delhi Dynamos. By the time the players walked out into the pitch stadium had taken on the look of the familiar look of the Goa-flavoured football party complete with drums and horns.
The home side chose to start with 4 of the 7 Brazilians that Zico had included in the side; Andrade in goal, Lucio in central defence, Leo Moura in the midfield and Reinaldo right up front. 3 Dempo players, Romeo Fernandes, Debabrata Roy and Mandar Rao Desai were also included among the starters.
Roberto Carlos chose not to field himself against the strong FC Goa side, opting instead for a strong and heavy defence of Zodingliana Ralte and Chicao on the side while captain John Arne Riise guarded the middle with Anwar Ali. Missing Sehnaj Singh in the midfield, they went with Shylo 'Mama' Malsawmtluanga instead. Richard Gadze, as expected, helmed the attack.
The curious inclusion in the starting line-up was Sanjiban Ghosh, the 24 year old Mumbai FC goalkeeper who went unsold in the Draft, but was signed by the Dynamos only a week ago after a trial. He was given a start ahead of Subhashish Roy Chowdhury who turned heads with his performance for Atletico de Kolkata last year.
From the very beginning it was FC Goa who built the pressure on the visitors and managed to maintain it. And in the very third minute, a lead game courtesy of two Dempo boys. As Moura fed Romeo Fernandes from the right, he accelerated, leaving Riise behind. He then sent the ball in for an impeccable centre and found Mandar Rao Desai, who had made a dart right up the middle. The finish from the Mapusa-born midfielder came with dexterity and ease. The fans' roar reached fever pitch as FC Goa started their season with an own goal manufactured by two young Goans.
The Gaurs kept the pressure on as Reinaldo and Romeo ran riot in the Lions' half. The Brazilian almost helped Romeo get a second with a sharp cross but the latter's shot hit the post.
Delhi Dynamos tried to put together some counter attacks as they tried hard to push the action away from their half. A cross from Gadze saw Malouda get his head to it but missed the goal.
Malouda kept trying to rally the Dynamos midfield but FC Goa countered by hogging the ball and slowing things down, hoping to draw the Delhi midfielders out. Delhi were granted a free kick after Almeida brought Vinicius down. But Malouda's sub-par delivery was easily swatted away by Reinaldo, much to the frustration of Roberto Carlos in the sidelines.
Delhi did try to gain back some clot towards the end of the half as free kick by Chicao had to be punched away by Andrade. The keeper easily collected the resulting corner kick.
But in the injury time FC Goa doubled their lead as a free kick by Jofre flew in, brushed Reinaldo's leg, and beat Sanjiban Ghosh to find the net. The home side, who had dominated most of the half, were duly rewarded with a comfortable lead as the half-time whistle blew.
After the half-time, Roberto Carlos decided that a more pro-active approach was necessary to turn things around for his team. He replaced Hans Mulder and injected himself into the central midfield. He also made a change up front, replacing Vinicius Ferreira da Souza with another Brazilian, 21 year old Atletico Paranaense loanee Gustavo Marmentini.
The second half started with Delhi going all-out to get back at the hosts. Ten minutes into the period, Riise and Malouda put together a swift onslaught but the finisher from Riise hit the post and came back. Richard Gadze got to the ball, sent in the cross, Malouda put a header on it but found the post yet again.
Goa retaliated with Jofre feeding Romeo Fernandes in a good counter attack but Sanjiban Ghosh rushed out to block his path and clear the ball.
As the game went on, tensions flared on the field. Delhi substitute Marmentini got into a scuffle with FC Goa's Jofre and both were shown the yellow card. A minute later John Riise and Gregory Arnolin were having a spat.
Once past the 70 minute mark Delhi decided to inject some fresh legs into the game by replacing Chicao with the young West Ham developmental player Adil Nabi.
But it was FC Goa who were still dominating proceedings, with Reinaldo easily putting a rather slow Roberto Carlos behind to pass the ball to Mandar Rao Desai but Sanjiban Ghosh pulled yet another off-the-line act to clear the ball. Minutes later, Reinaldo and Romeo almost got behind the Dynamos' defence but Riise managed to clear it. Then it was Lucca who put the Dynamos' keeper to the test with a blinder but Sanjiban threw himself at the ball just in time to get to it.
As the minutes ticked down towards the late 80s the fans began to chant the name of the home team in eager anticipation of victory. Delhi Dynamos kept on trying but failed to find the mark. A free kick from Riise went way too high.
Five minutes were added on as injury time. Halfway into them Delhi Dynamos got a free kick from scoring range and none other than Roberto Carlos walked up to take it. The shot was bang on target, going straight through the wall, but the agile Andrade managed to get behind it and deny his fellow countryman an entry into the scoresheet. And his efforts were rewarded with a clean sheet in the end.
The match ended with a comfortable 2-0 victory for FC Goa. Throughout the game it was clear which side had brought along the heavier cannons. The Gaurs had less possession by the end, but they had an attack that was well-coordinated and a defence that was competent enough to sit back and protect their territory even when the opponents saw most of the ball.
The Lions were outplayed and looked like a team with a half-baked team whose strategy failed to take into account the stronger points of their opponents. Their management made annoyed noises about having to release Robin Singh and Sehnaj Singh to the national team, but it's hard to see how their presence would have made them much stronger. The only saving grace for them was their new keeper, Sanjiban Ghosh. The Southern Samity academy product had a stellar ISL debut and had it not been for him the margin could have easily been 5-0.
FC Goa were title contenders last year and they have started this season with the same flair and conviction. They will now face a tougher test against Atletico de Kolkata, but head coach Zico will take a lot of heart by the way his players fared tonight.
As for the Delhi Dynamos, they are ruing the couple of times they hit the post, and the header or two that went over the bar. And coach Carlos might have underestimated the level of competitiveness prevalent in ISL. His presence in the Dynamos' midifeld in the second half, while a delight to the football-loving Goa crowd, did few favours for his team. They will now fly back to Delhi to face an equally tough challenge against Chennaiyin FC, and they must brace themselves for further woes unless Carlos can introduce some radical change in their strategy, which is very hard to implement in a congested tournament like the ISL.
