Gaurs survive late Jamshedpur FC fightback, book semi-final spot with 4-3 win

by Chittu Shetty April 7, 2019

FC Goa survived a late scare to beat Jamshedpur FC 4-3 in the third Hero Super Cup 2019 quarter-final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

The Gaurs seemed to be cruising to a convincing win after being 4-1 up until the 73^rd minute, but two late goals from Jamshedpur set up a thrilling finish to the match. Edu Bedia was sent off with a double booking, leaving Goa to fend off Jamshedpur with 10-men for the final eight minutes plus added time.

The result sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash between Goa and Hero I-League 2018-19 champions Chennai City FC, who stunned Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 winners Bengaluru FC in their quarter-final clash on Thursday.

Highlights of the Game:

• Edu Bedia gave Goa the lead with 22 minutes on the clock.
• Brandon Fernandes’ free-kick took a touch off Pablo Morgado and ended up inside the goal in the dying seconds of the first half.
• Seriton Fernandes fired Goa to a 3-0 lead on the 64^th minute, before Morgado pulled a goal back for Jamshedpur five minutes later.
• Ferran Corominas converted a penalty on the 73^rd minute to restore Goa’s three-goal advantage.
• Sergio Cidoncha scored for Jamshedpur shortly after to make it 4-2.
• On the 82^nd minute, Bedia was sent off after receiving his second booking of the night for bringing down Morgado inside the Goa penalty box.
• Carlos Calvo converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 4-3, but the 10-man Goa team held on to secure the victory.

The match got off to a lively start with both teams exhibiting some attacking intent early on, carving out a few half-chances but nothing substantial enough to seriously worry either goalkeeper. The opening goal finally came on the 22nd minute. Jamshedpur conceded a soft free-kick down the left and Brandon made sure he put the ball into the danger zone. Edu Bedia ghosted in between two Jamshedpur defenders at the near post and buried his flicked header into the goal past a helpless Rafique Ali.

Jamshedpur could have drawn level just five minutes later when Jerry Mawhmingthanga made good use of his pace and found himself face to face with Goa custodian Mohammad Nawaz. The Jamshedpur man tried to curl one across Nawaz, but the young custodian showed impeccable anticipation to rescue his team.

In the dying seconds of the first half the Gaurs won another free-kick down the left, Brandon once again fizzed in another dangerous ball into the Jamshedpur box. The effort took a touch off Pablo Morgado and ended up inside the goal as the first half ended with Gaurs 2-0 up. In the 64^th minute. Krouch raced forward after a quick counter attack and slid the ball in for Seriton Fernandes, who took the ball in his stride and fired Goa to a 3-0 lead.

Also Read: Goan football’s flame burning bright

With the match seemingly slipping away, a rare mistake by Mourtada Fall gave Jamshedpur the faintest of hopes. Calvo took advantage of the Senegalese defender’s indecisiveness to clear the ball and picked out an unmarked Morgado inside the box, who scored to make it 3-1.

Goa, however, reclaimed their three-goal advantage just minutes later. Bedia’s shot from range hit Pratik’s hand inside the Jamshedpur box, prompting the referee to point towards the penalty box. Corominas promptly dispatched the spot kick after sending Ali the wrong way. Despite the 4-1 score line the game wasn’t done yet. Calvo found Sergio Cidoncha inside the Goa box with a lovely cross from the left and the Spaniard headed home from close range on the 77^th minute to make it 4-2.

Five minutes later, Jamshedpur were awarded a penalty of their own after Bedia brought down Morgado inside the Goa box. The rash challenge earned the Goa captain his second booking of the night and his marching orders. The resultant spot kick was converted by Calvo to set up an intriguing finish to the dramatic tie.

With a man down, the Gaurs sat deep and weathered a barrage of Jamshedpur attacks to ensure the victory and the progression to the Hero Super Cup 2019 semi-finals.

Post-Match Notes:

At the post-match press conference, a relieved FC Goa head coach Sergio Lobera analyzed the performance and said, “I’m very happy with the performance of the team. The score was 4-1. At that time, we could have managed the game much better. I think our assistant coach is doing a great job. We have improved a lot in offensive and defensive set-pieces. I’m very happy with this improvement.”

The Spaniard also expressed his delight at the way the young Indian players have progressed. Lobera, particularly, name dropped Brandon, who was directly involved with Goa’s first two goals of the match, and stated, “I believe that the players have been growing with the team. I think Brandon is a great player. He is improving day by day. I think he should be selected in the national team. He helps us a lot with his qualities.”

“I think for us the performance of the Indian players is key. I’m delighted with the work they have doing this season. I think the Indian players are talented. Not only our players but all Indian players in general. With help, they can come out as good and talented players,” he added.

From the Jamshedpur camp, assistant coach Guillermo attended the briefing. Asked if the players could be held responsible for the first two FC Goa goals, which came from dead ball situations, he said, “In this game, we lost two goals from set-pieces. I think we missed the plot a little bit there. Otherwise, the team was quite good. We came back from 4-1 against us. At the end of the day, we are very proud of the work of the team. It was a very good effort from them.”

“I think both goals were different. For the first goal, the free-kick was quite good for them and was difficult to defend. The second goal was an easy one to clear, but we couldn’t do it. Mistakes happen in a game. We cannot control it sometimes. The team effort was good,” he further opined.

Hero of the Match – Carlos Calvo

With two assists and a goal to his name, Carlos Calvo almost single-handedly mounted the Jamshedpur fightback. His effort might have fallen just short, but was enough to earn him the Hero of the Match award.

– Courtesy AIFF media

Also Read: Hero Super Cup: Goalkeeper Mauro Boerchio steals the show as Chennai City prevails in battle of champions fixture

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