Guwahati, Jan 14 (PTI) Hosts NorthEast United FC came from behind to hold FC Goa 1-1 in a closely-contested Indian Super League (ISL) match here on Tuesday.
Mohammad Yasir handed the lead to FC Goa in the 65th minute but Jithin MS struck in the 76th minute for NorthEast as the two sides took one point each from the match.
This was the 11th draw between these two teams, the most number of stalemates between two side in this competition’s history.
The Highlanders started the game on the front foot as the likes of Guillermo Fernandez and Alaaeddine Ajaraie made some marauding runs, keeping the FC Goa defenders on their toes.
However, the first real opportunity came to the Gaurs when Dejan Drazic found Armando Sadiku with a telling cross in the penalty area. But unfortunately, the Albanian’s header was not strong enough to trouble Gurmeet Singh in goal.
Minutes later, Ajaraie almost opened the scoring when Buanthanglun Samte found him with a long pass. The Moroccan was through on goal but his subsequent effort was tipped over the bar by Hritik Tiwari.
Despite absorbing the pressure from the hosts for the majority of the first half, FC Goa finished the half on a strong note.
NorthEast started the second half with a lot of zeal just like they did in the first half. However, they lacked the cutting edge in the final third to break open FC Goa’s resolute backline.
In the 59th minute, assistant coach Naushad Moosa decided to change the dynamics of the game as he brought on Nestor Albiach and Ninthoinganba Meetei in place of Guillermo and Muthu Mayakkannan.
Nestor almost made an instant impact when he combined with Ajaraei for a give-and-go and Hrithik lost the ball in the crowd, creating an opening for the Spaniard. But Odei Onaindia cleared the dangerous ball away from the goal.
Against the run of play, FC Goa broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Jay Gupta unleashed a long ball into the penalty area. Mohammed Yasir then played it towards Brison. The youngster played it back to Yasir, who hammered it into the bottom right corner, handing an important lead to the Gaurs.
After a sustained spell of long balls, the Highlanders decided to hit FC Goa on the counter. Ajaraie held the ball brilliantly before unleashing Jithin with a sensational through ball. The winger eventually slotted the ball past Hrithik in the 76th minute. PTI PDS PDS BS BS
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