AFC Champions League 2021: FC Goa ride luck but gain point over Al Wahda with hard work, organised defence

With barely a minute left to play, Saviour Gama and Brandon Fernandes must’ve felt time slow down around them as their attempt to bypass the Al Wahda press through neat link-up play went awry and Khalil Ibrahim’s resulting cross was on its way onto the head of Omar Khribin. But they need not have worried as lady luck, and goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, seemed to have their back on a night when FC Goa wrote another chapter of their AFC Champions League fairy tale. After a heroic, backs to the wall performance against Al Rayyan in their opening Group E game, the Gaurs repeated the trick to produce another 0-0 draw against superior opposition, this time from the UAE, to take their points tally to two. The Indian Super League side looked more confident, not afraid to stick their faces, and indeed their legs into the opposition and also braver in attack. They had more shots and corners than the previous game including a couple of glorious chances on the counter-attack but this attacking endeavour naturally left them vulnerable at the back where the likes of Dheeraj alongside defenders Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie and Seriton Fernandes put in a tremendous shift. Coached by former UEFA Champions League winning assistant manager Henk ten Cate, Al Wahda came into this game on the back of a 0-1 defeat against Iranian side Persepolis. Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Emirati side looked to their captain, the 38-year-old Ismaeil Matar, for inspiration and he was in the thick of the action throughout the game. Flanking him were international teammates Ibrahim and the Syrian Khribin with Slovenian striker Tim Matavz leading the line. For Goa, coach Juan Ferrando named an unchanged starting line-up, putting faith in the eleven who had earned a point against Al Rayyan. As expected, Al Wahda had more of the ball as they tried to pry open the Goa defence with balls in behind the full-backs and through to Matavz to bring the wide forwards into play. Like they did last time, Goa played a low block, holding a really deep defensive line with their last outfield players stationing themselves just outside the 18-yard box, and also congesting the central areas to force the opponents to play the ball out wide. But this time, the Indian side disrupted Al Wahda’s rhythm as much as possible by committing minor fouls to disrupt the flow. The first half went by without many incidents as neither goalkeepers were called into serious action with both teams lacking the final killer ball. Ferrando made an early second half substitution, bringing on Devendra Murgaonkar for Ishan Pandita and the former made an immediate impact by running onto a throw-in towards the touchline and cutting it back for Jorge Ortiz. The Spaniard Ortiz sent in a low cross towards Alex Romario which was cleared but the ball fell kindly to Brandon whose shot cannoned off the post. Goa had a number of such opportunities on the break but a lack of good end-product and composure let them down, with Ortiz and Brandon attempting a shot at goal from the halfway line on a couple of occasions. As Ten Cate’s side increased the pressure in the second half, the limelight fell on Goa’s backline and they passed the scrutiny with flying colours. Ivan Gonzalez was the pick of the bunch as he headed away the danger, dribbled out from the back, organised the defence and even found time to have a go at the opposition captain Matar for perceivably going down too easily. Alongside him, the Aussie Donachie had another fine game using his physicality against Matavz. The right-back Seriton also had a solid game, with his highlight being the last-ditch block to deny Omar a goalscoring opportunity after Dheeraj had parried away a shot.

Seconds to go and @FcGoaOfficial's @dhee_singh01 does this! 🇮🇳😱#ACL2021 pic.twitter.com/HZrrAwVye6

— #ACLElite | #ACLTwo (@TheAFCCL) April 17, 2021

As the final whistle rang, there were the usual reactions of staring up at the heavens and sinking to the ground but this time there were more smiles all around at the thought of a job well done. Goa might have ridden their luck a few times over the course of the last two games but they have more than earned these two points with hard work, organisation and a belief in their playing philosophy. Expected to be cannon fodder for the rest of the group, the ISL side has proven that they can hold their ground the best in the continent by keeping two clean sheets in two. Up next for Goa are Persepolis of Iran, the runners-up of the previous edition of the AFC Champions League, and as the Gaurs line up on Tuesday, they will be backed by an ever-expectant fan base which will be hoping they can pull another rabbit out of the hat.