MATCH REPORT: 10-man ATK succumb to relentless pressure as Goa earns a draw

THE CONTEST UNFOLDED LIKE A twisty thriller at the Fatorda stadium tonight as FC Goa welcomed bitter rivals Atletico de Kolkata in an encounter that furthered the narrative of their enmity. After ATK took the lead through Arata Izumi in the first half, a shocking red card in the second period saw the defending champions go down to ten men, leading to a vigorous comeback from the home side to get even and ultimately earn a 1-1 draw.

The visitors started without captain Josemi in order to shuffle the team to account for the absence of key players Helder Postiga, Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto, while Zico's FC Goa fielded the same starting XI that took to the pitch in the 2-0 win over Delhi Dynamos in the first match. 

ATK coach Habas placed Iain Hume as the target man up front while handing the experienced Arata Izumi a start in the midfileld, while Tiri came back from an injury to replace Josemi in the defence.

FC Goa took on the defending champions with the unpleasant record of never having beaten them in the 4 matches they played in the first edition of ISL. The Zico-led side lost out to the Kolkata team in the semi-finals by a penalty shootout. And there were off-the-field scuffles as well, which fuelled the rivalry between these two franchises.  

It was common knowledge that ex ATK man Jofre was going to be central to Goa's plans to take on his former team. So the ATK defenders were ready to stop him at all cost from the very first minute. Denzil Franco welcomed him into the contest with a harsh tackle where he got the ball but took down the Spanish medio quite roughly. Minutes later, Gregory Arnolin came up with a reply for that, pulling a clean but stern tackle on Iain Hume from behind.

Jofre stayed in search for openings in the extra-tightened ATK defence, as he sought to clear the defensive line with a lofted ball that fell to Rainaldo who fired it first-touch with his left foot and it just about missed the near post, slamming into the side netting. 

Goa kept on trying to remain on the offensive, but a couple of minutes later they went down by a goal. It was a throw in, which saw the ball get to Javi Lara, who turned around and sent a slightly high ball into the box where Iain Hume and Arata Izumi were standing very close together. The cross took Leo Moura, standing only feet away, completely by surprise as both Hume and Izumi went for it. But it was the Pune FC veteran medio who managed to get a perfectly timed volley on it that left Andrade rooted to the ground, watching as the ball shot past him into the net. 

A shocked silence descended on the Fatorda Stadium as the loud, nearly houseful crowd looked on at the away team's players celebrate on the pitch.

Down by a goal, the home side remained on lookout for an early comeback. And they got chances. They got the ball dangerously deep into the ATK penalty box, but found no one at hand to put the final move on it. A free kick by Jofre tried to find Lucio, but got intercepted. Romeo ran into the ATK box from the right only to get blocked by the goalscorer Arata. Leo Moura went for a long-ranger, but it was well-wide. Then Romeo came close again, leaving Borja behind. But he missed the target by inches.

Atletico de Kolkata braved it all and soon they were the smoother side on the pitch, controlling the ball well, and started to probe further for a potential second goal. Javi Lara took a shot at the goal, but it was from a bit too far to make much trouble. 

Lucio had a good chance, but his left footer was well saved by ATK goalie Amrinder Singh. The same Amrinder was found wanting when his one-handed deflection of a Keenan Almeida shot almost gave Romeo the ball in front of an open net. Had Baljit not been there it could have been the equalizer.

Denson was having a poor game all alone, and he added another folly to his tally as he let Arata get past him, enter the box and take a shot at the goal (he could have passed to Iain Hume who was in a better position), Andrade managed to keep it out with his leg. 

Then the Gaurs were denied a penalty. As a high ball was descending into the ATK box, Reinaldo was brought down well inside the penalty area by Oftense Nato. The referee didn't see it that way though.

But at least he correctly spotted Borja Fernandez bringing Leo Moura down and flashed him a yellow. Two minutes later he yellow-carded Gavilan too for a similar offence, right after Reinaldo had found the ball dangerously close to the goal, but managed to only find the keeper with his weakened delivery. 

As the half-time whistle sounded, the defending champions were firmly in the lead with a goal and were defending it well. But FC Goa had displayed enough fire-power to come back into the game. 

ATK started the second half with Valdo injected into the midfield in the place of Javi Lara. In focus once again as the half began was Jofre's run-in with ATK defenders. It was Oftense Nato, whose rash tackle went straight for Jofre's right foot and brought him down. It was Nato who appeared to have sustained the harsher injury from the move, but he got a yellow card anyway. 

Jofre walked up to take the resulting free kick and he delivered a high one right into the box, with Lucio waiting in anticipation at the back of the ATK defence. He managed to get his head to it, but the ball hit the post. The crowd groaned as a solid chance went begging for the home side.

Then it was Gavilian who was fouled by Denson Devadas. Iain Hume took the free kick but it went well wide.

Oftense Nato nearly committed a Chennaiyin-esque blunder as his back pass nearly caught keeper Amrinder off guard. But luckily, the 22 year old from Mahilpur, Punjab managed to back down and get the ball on his chest.

Soon it was Leo Moura feeding Reinaldo who did a one-two, nutmegged Tiri to send the ball low-hopping towards the goal. It managed to beat the keeper but missed the far post by inches. 

Denson Devadas made his night worse by clipping himself onto Iain Hume and bringing him down. He was shown a yellow card straight away. 

Following this came a moment of panic for the Gaurs as ATK nearly doubled the lead for ATK. Arata invaded the Goa box, fed Baljit but Arnolin was there to clear it. Baljit wasn't pleased at the French defender at all. And perhaps this very anger led to an incident a minute later that radically altered the face of the game.

Baljit revenge-fouled Gregory. It was a straight yellow. But the ATK forward lost his cool and put a head-butt on the latter; a light one, with about 10% intensity of what Zidane subjected Materazzi to.

But it was grounds for a straight red card anyway as Gregory it milked by going down clutching his face. The referee duly responded and suddenly ATK were down to 10 men in a crucial situation due to a moment's silliness.

FC Goa coach Zico responded to the situation immediately by subbing goalkeeper Andrade with Laxmikant Kattimani, allowing him to put a sixth foreigner in the outfield, which he did by taking off Denson Devadas and putting in Brazilian medio Janathan Lucca. 

The game went on back and forth. ATK's Valdo threatened with a box invasion. Goa's Keenan fed Reinaldo who got dispossessed by Nato. 

Now Habas was responding as well, and strengthened the back by putting in veteran defender and captain Josemi in the place of medio Gavilan. 

Jofre threatened. He got into the ATK box, crossed to Reinaldo who fell down inside the box but the referee waved it off. 

Then it was Valdo, who got past two defenders, passed to Iain Hume, who ended up dispossessed.

Zico made his third substitution near the 80 minute mark as he took out a less than impressive Romeo Fernandes and replaced him with Victorino Fernandes. 

Keenan was up there sniffing for chances. He fed Mandar from the right, who took the shot, and Amrinder saved. Then it was Jofre who sent one in that missed the post thanks to a slight deflection from Nato. 

Next minute the pressure paid off. It was Keenan. A cross from Dessai took a header from Reinaldo, ended up outside the box, Keenan ran up to it and shot it straight and low as hard as he could, and it found its way past the jungle of players, past a helpless Amrinder who could not have properly seen it coming, into the net. 

The seventeen thousand assembled fans rejoiced in unison as the Gaurs breathed a sigh of relief. 

There were ten minutes still to go.

The tempers did not die down. Next minute the it was Jofre and Augustine Fernandes having a go at each other. Both were shown a yellow apiece.

Soon, Valdo was on the ground following a tackle from goalscorer Keenan and the latter also went to the referee's book.

The battle of nerves and grit got considerably extended as the fourth official signaled for seven minutes of added time. But by now ATK were feeling cornered, as Habas introduced a more defensive-minded Syed Rahim Nabi in the place of Arata Izumi. 

Soon afterwards yet another yellow card was flashed, substitute Victorino Fernandes being the newest name on the book.

The tensions kept flaring, the fight remained nasty as ATK were able to hold FC Goa away from their box and run out the clock. And thus it was that the first draw of the second edition of ISL came to be. An eventful draw, full of cards, goals and moments that made for a fitting fifth chapter of this bitter rivalry between FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata.

The maiden win against their arch nemesis remained yet beyond the reach of the Gaurs after a fifth try but they will be happy, having avoided what looked like a looming defeat at one point. They have become the first team to have gone a goal down and yet avoided a defeat this season.

Kolkata will be a bit disappointed with the way things turned out. The match was definitely going their way until Baljit Singh Sahni went ahead and head-butted Gregory Arnolin. Now they have missed out on a convincing start to the season with two straight wins in difficult away games, before returning home to face Kerala in yet another tough encounter. 

Goa, on the other hand, could have done with full points from the fist two home games. They face Chennaiyin FC next, at home again, before going out for a successon of away games. Now, anything less than a win against Materazzi's  team will put them on a backfoot as they begin their travels.

But a draw, in the end, is a good result for both these teams. Habas will take heart from the fact that they mostly managed to clip down on the wing-play of Romeo Fernandes that wreacked havoc on Delhi Dynamos last Sunday. And Zico will be pleased to have managed to come back into the game from being a goal down to salvage a point.

As for the fans, they were treated to a game full of twists and turns, featuring an on-field rivalry that only set itself up for an even more bitter contest in the return leg, when stakes will be higher and tension will be through the roof.