Goa make home comeback in battle of grit, score thrice against Delhi to qualify for the final

A DOMINANT FIRST HALF sent FC Goa firmly in the driving seat. They then endured an excruciatingly physical second half to deny opponents Delhi Dynamos any chance to score, and breached their defence, weakened due to the departure of John Arne Riise with an injury, a total of 3 times to claim a 3-0 win; and a ticket to the ISL 2015 final thanks to a 3-1 victory in aggregate over both legs of the semi-final match-up. 

Zico, who had the onus to chase down a one goal deficit coming into the game, made a host of changes in the side. Mandar Rao Desai, Romeo Fernandes, Bikramjit Singh, Rafael Coelho and Dudu Omagbemi came into the side in order to overcome the failure of the first leg. Roberto Carlos, meanwhile, used the same starting XI that he fielded in the first leg.

But the game was nothing like the one on Friday night. 

It was evident that tensions were running high from the outset. A foul by Gregory Arnolin on Robin Singh saw Roberto Carlos go absolutely mad in the sidelines. He could not tolerate an injury risk on the scorer from the first leg and reacted furiously when the referee let Arnolin go without being carded.

But FC Goa soon established control over the flow of the match. Delhi were definitely keeping more of the ball but they could not find a way to venture past the Goa defence line. The attacks were mostly coming from the home team. 

Jofre had a couple of shots but they did not go in. And then, just 10 minutes into the game, he earned his team the break-through. Moura gave him the ball, and Jofre managed to get past Riise and slot in the ball with his left foot. It was 1-0 to Goa on the night and 1-1 overall in aggregate; the fight was on.

The tension between the teams went a notch higher. And it flared up when Jofre's studs unintentionally hit a fallen-over Chicao in the face. Chicao had to go to the sidelines to receive treatment and it was a few minutes before he could come back on. 

Riise did good to block an attempt by Romeo Fernandes but the ball hit him hard in the face and clearly left him dazed; something Delhi would have to pay for a few minutes later.

After Nabi missed the target by a couple of inches, Goa defenders sent a long ball ahead and Rafael Coelho managed to get to it. He ran straight in, with Riise blocking his way. His shot went through the legs of Riise and straight into the net. The crowd went nuts; Goa had taken a 2-1 lead in aggregate and become the front-runners in the race to the final.

Riise was taken off after this, and once back on the bench, he indicated that he was still dazed from the ball he took on his face. This may be a disappointing end to the ex Liverpool defender's illustrious journey in ISL 2015. Hans Mulder came to replace him.

Robert's cross found Malouda who took a hurried shot at the goal and Goa keeper Laxmikant Kattimani managed to deflect for a corner. He also punched away the corner kick that Malouda sent in.

Pronay Halder picked up a yellow after bringing down Hans Mulder. Then Rafael and Anas Edathodika clashed with each other vying for possession, and the former hurt his calf. He had to be taken away on a stretcher for some ice pack and spray. The revenge foul from Goa came swiftly; Dudu brought down Anas from behind and was lucky not to get booked. 

With the tension rising and physical tussles between the players on the rise, the first half came to an end; with Goa evidently the favourites to go through but Delhi still that one goal short of a place in the final.

The second half saw a straight-up physical battle as both teams went for the kill in a do-or-die half. Robin Singh started the half by bringing down Romeo Fernandes who had to go out to receive treatment. He then clashed with Gregory Arnolin. 

Adil Nabi managed to get a rare shot on target for Delhi but Kattimani saved it. Then Jofre blatantly fouled Malouda to pick up a yellow. 

Rafael rushed ahead looking for his second goal of the night. On the way he got knocked hard by Chicao but he kept going. Then Anas came in to cut him off. Rafael hit the ground hard and took a while to recover.

Then Hans Mulder fouled Robin Singh. And Dudu Omagbemi fouled Malouda. It was as if both sides had decided to risk any possible number of cards and other consequences to make sure the other team doesn't come close to scoring. 

At this point Adil Nabi was replaced by Richard Gadze. And the first he faced was a hard tackle from Mandar Rao Desai. The latter was promptly booked.

Rafael Coelho, after being hurt yet again, was stretched off and replaced by Jonatan Lucca. 

A shot from Sehnaj Singh was just high of the crossbar. Then Robin Singh fed Gustavo but the subsequent pass towards Gadze was diffused by Arnolin. Delhi played another substitution card: Seminlen Doungel replaced Robert Lalthlamuana. Then as Gustavo threatened to make a dangerous run, Bikramjit Singh brought him down with prejudice. He was booked. 

And then came the decisive blow. Romeo Fernandes received a ball from Jofre and sent in a short cross for Dudu Omagbemi who fired away at the net. It was 3-0 with 5-odd minutes of regulation time left. Victory for FC Goa was now almost sealed. 

And then things got ugly very fast. Shylo Mama put a harsh foul on Romeo Fernandes. The referee booked him. Adil Nabi, who had been subbed off, got into an argument with the fourth official over the decision and received a red card. The West Brom loanee completely lost his cool at that. As he was being escorted off the pitch, he responded to the crowd's booing by showing them both his middle fingers. The crowd, in response, through a couple of bottles at him. Nabi looked ready to take them on but the ground staff convinced him to keep going.

The last few minutes also saw a lot of fouls. Hans Mulder picked up yet another booking. But this crazy, borderline voilent half eventually came to an end with the referee blowing the long whistle. 

FC Goa emerged, bloody and bruised, as the winners in this gritty, highly physical contest by a 3-0 margin in the match and 3-1 in the overall aggregate. With this they have entered the final, which will be played at their own home ground. Zico's boys, after finishing top of the table in the regular season, overcame the first leg's deficit to claim their place in the ultimate showdown.

For Delhi Dynamos, it is the end to a long hard road. They had progressed with measured steps; each draw and narrow win adding up to get them a top four finish. But all this time, one of the biggest pillars that their efforts could stand on was called John Arne Riise. And tonight, his bad form, injury and early exit shook the Lions' defensive stability. And they could no longer shift the pressure back onto the opponents. Roberto Carlos will be disappointed to go back from India empty-handed. But the fact is they never looked good enough tonight.

It was perhaps the last time Roberto Carlos and Zico went go up against each other as opponent coaches for many, many years to come. The fans in Goa got to witness something special tonight; and their loud, enthusiastic presence made a great addition to the occasion. And now they can look forward to something even more special in 5 days' time as their beloved Gaurs battle for ISL glory in front of their own fans.