Pune started off the attack with a bang and ventured near the penalty area thrice under 4 minutes. An anti-climax surfaced in the 6th minute, Pune had found the back of the net on an Anthony D’souza free kick but it was after the whistle had already gone for a hand ball objection. To make amends, they did win a penalty but it hit the pole even as Salgaocar goal keeper Subrata dived to the correct side.

The first 10 minutes were dominated by Pune and only in the 12th minute did Salgaocar have a chance when the Pune goalkeeper Amrinder made a mini blunder.

Post the 20 minute mark, numerous saves and stops were made by Pune’s Gonsalves and Ralte who were stopping even the rare intermittent appearances made by Salgaocar strikers.

Douhou of Salgaocar created a brilliant opportunity for Salgaocar by getting a nice ball in on the 28th minute for Thangjam but it all went haywire when it could have gone right upto the the keeper Singh.

The 30’s on the clock saw a couple of missed attempts.. Pune FC failed to make it 1-0 after Gonsalves nicked in a superb cross. While, Salgaocar failed to conquer an open goal when the keeper Amrinder was roughly 20 yards away.

Nearing the half time (44th minute), Pune’s Anthony took advantage of Francis Kasonde’s failure to clear the ball. A great left footed shot on a very acute angle gave Pune a 1-0 score line in their favor, it was a stunning finish.

Salgaocar tried to control the situation in the added time with a stinging right footer from Douhou however Amrinder read it perfectly and soon the referee blew the half time whistle.

The second half was underway under lights and Pune’s Haokip faltered at the last second on the 46th minute, it was his chance to add to the tally. The very next minute, Salgaocar tried to equalize as well but failed.

Gurjinder put in a powerful left footer for Salgaocar from a distance in the 58th minute but the ball shy of direction whizzed past wide of the top right corner. Another chance came in on the 60th Salgaocar’s way through Gilbert but the finish is pretty wayward. Rosario also tried in the 62nd minute but the ball landed over the cross bar. The Goan side was trying hard to convert the superiority in possession on the score sheet.

A complete stretched save was put in by Pune keeper Amrinder in the 75th minute to save a curling free kick from Douhou.

Douhou then set up the stage in the 79th minute when he created space and after an exchange of passes gave in the ball to Gilbert who put it behind the goal keeper in style for a goal that had been eluding them for long.

With the lead neutralized, Salgaocar dominated right until the end of the match with Pune winning a rare corner and free kick in the 87th and 92nd minute respectively both of which were easily cleared.

Arata Izumi, captain of the Pune side was declared Hero of the Match for his brilliant efforts in the midfield and impeccable forward crosses.

The referee called it a day with the opening match going for a draw, a fascinating encounter- it was a match where both the teams played with a superb temperament.

The post Salgaocar come in from behind to draw the first I-league match against Pune FC appeared first on Football Counter.

The team, co-owned by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and Chartered Accountant Bimal Parekh, has been performing consistently so far but the lack of goals and a loss in their last encounter against league leaders Chennaiyin FC means that they not only need to win but win big to stay in hunt for the semi-final spot.

Mumbai City FC currently has 12 points with a goal difference of -5 and coach Peter Reid would be keen to improve on both counts in the remaining four matches.

While the team has managed five clean sheets in their last six games, it is the count of just two goals that has been worrying the team management and they have been working on many drills in training to set the ball rolling on the field.

The team has been creating a handful of chances in every game and Reid would be happy that experienced campaigners like Freddie Ljungburg of Sweden and skipper Syed Rahim Nabi are available for selection after fully recovering from their respective injuries, but the team will be missing the services of Nicolas Anelka and Andre Moritz due to injury plus Johann Letzelder due to a suspension.

Mumbai City FC could also take confidence from the fact that when the two teams met in Mumbai the last time, Delhi Dynamos hardly came close to the visitor’s citadel through-out the 90 minute encounter and they continue to boast of one of the best defence in the tournament.

“We are expecting a difficult game tomorrow. If you look at the table, we have had some disappointing results recently. Having said that, anyone could beat anyone in this league. We are excited about tomorrow’s game.”Peter Reid, Mumbai City FC coach said

“We were all over the place defensively in the last 10 minutes of our previous game, as we went in search of a goal. Hopefully, we will be a bit more tight (defensively) at the start tomorrow. I know we are quite capable of coming to Delhi and winning. At the same time, Delhi are quite capable of beating us. That’s what makes it very exciting,” Peter Reid, Mumbai City FC coach added.

The post Mumbai City FC looking for goals and victory in Delhi appeared first on Football Counter.

Q. The team seems to be picking up at the right time. What advice do you give to the team to ward off competition team?
A. Zico- I always tell them to keep the seriousness that they have been having till now. We should always respect the opposing team and play football.

Q. How much do you enjoy playing in your current position and also what do you have to say about your performance today?
A. Santos- I have played in this position before and all the credit goes to Zico since he put me in this position and he knew that I can do well in this position. I am very happy with my performance today, but I know without help from my team it would have not been possible. Like coach said, have to continue playing well and not take anything for granted. We have to keep working hard and look to achieve our target.

Q. Are you happy with the refereeing today?
A. Zico- I have no complaints about the main referee, but the line referee I am not very pleased. His role is not to tell when it is a foul, but to help the main referee with off-sides. But here he was refereeing himself. I am not just talking about the referees in India, but around the world. I don’t agree with the role of the line referee around the world. His role is to help the main referee.

Q. Do you think FC Goa should have won with more margins?
A. Zico- We are not complaining. The opposing team did very good goalkeeping. It shows why he was the main goalkeeper in the England team. I think the team deserved the victory that we got today and I would have been satisfied even if Goa had won 1-0. But we saw how we dominated the game today.

Q. With this win, Goa is in third position. Do you think it is a secured position?
A. Zico- No team is safe. Maybe Chennai, but other teams are not safe. With the third position we are not taking anything for granted.

The post Jubilant Zico after 3-0 triumph over Kerla Blasters appeared first on Football Counter.

Plagued by injuries to its key players – Andre Moritz, Syed Rahim Nabi and marquee Freddie Ljungberg – Mumbai City FC went into the match with a chance to go on top of the league table for the first time in the tournament but needed to summon all their defensive resolves to keep the hosts at bay in a fast-paced encounter.

The hero of the match for Mumbai was undoubtedly goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who stood tall in moments of pressure to maintain his fourth clean sheet in a row, his fifth in the tournament.

Kerala Blasters were definitely first to find their rhythm and it was the acrobatic Subrata Pal who kept them at bay in the seventh minute itself when he parried a Milagres Gonsalves header from six yards off a Sabeeth cross.

Subrata was pressed into action a couple of times more as Kerala Blasters use long balls inside the box in search of an opener but the custodian and Mumbai City FC defence always stood tall. The custodian’s out stretched hands kept Mumbai City FC alive again in the 65th minute when he left his line on time to parry a cross from Sabeeth with Milagres lurking in the six yard box.

Going forward, Mumbai City FC were hampered with the absence of their key playmaker Andre Moritz, who had limped out before half-time in their last game against FC Goa. In his absence, Frenchman Nicolas Anelka played in a bit more withdrawn position and the visitors could have had the last laugh but for the woodwork that denied them a goal in the 77th minute when Tiago Ribeiro’s first time shot off Anelka’s cross came off the right hand post.

The draw means that Mumbai City FC remains in fourth position with 11 points from eight encounters while Kerala Blasters are sixth with nine points.

Manager Peter Reid admitted that it was a tough match and they missed Moritz, skipper Nabi and marquee signing Freddie Ljungberg. “It was good game and both teams wanted to win. We started slowly but then we made some good moves. But we need to concentrate on attack more now.”

Goalkeeper Subrata Pal was satisfied with the team’s performance and said the defence was looking rock solid now. “We now have four consecutive clean slates and five overall and that is very good for us going forward.”

Result:

Kerala Blasters FC 0 drew with Mumbai City FC 0

Hero of the Match: C.S. Sabeeth

Swift moment of the match: C.S. Sabeeth

Fittest player of the match: Tiago Ribeiro

Emerging player of the match: Lalrindika Ralte

The post Mumbai City FC hold Kerala Blasters goalless appeared first on Football Counter.

Goa has played four matches with just one point and at the bottom of the table. Has this kind of performance come as a surprise to you?

Zico: Football never surpises me. So, we lost some games but we can also win and move on. We created some good opportunities and had chances but didn’t manage to concert them, even though we played well. This is the magic about football. Sometimes a team plays very well but doesn’t manage to score, while another team comes and scores. But then, that’s how football is. It’s all about football.

Many foreign players have come to India for the ISL. Your thoughts on that?

Zico: I think the difference with Japan was that they didn’t bring in too many foreign players. In my opinion at the ISL it’s not too good to have too many foreigners playing. The minimum of 5 Indian players is too less in my opinion. Since it’s the ISL, we have to encourage more Indian football.

FC Goa will miss a lot of players at the next match. Some injured, some not fit, suspended. How difficult will it be to play well tomorrow?

Zico: We never think it’s only 11 players, we have a group of 27 players. All 27 players are ready to play. Some are injured but the others are fit and ready to play. Players have been picked for the team because they are good and they are prepared to play. So I’m not too worried about that. I told them that they have to be prepared to play at any time, in any situation. We will play 11 against 11.

Ranti, you have played at the I-league and ISL. Have scored high at I-league, but not at the ISL. Is the standard of football higher in the ISL?

Ranti: There are only 2 strikers, Dudu and me, who have played for the I-league and ISL. There are also a lot of foreign players making the top 11. Also, we have been playing only for a couple of weeks but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t score. It’s about patience.

Coach, AIFF has announced that the ban for Habbas has been reduced from 4 to 2 games. Your comments?

Zico: Congratulations to their lawyers.

The post FC Goa pre-match press conference appeared first on Football Counter.

Mumbai City FC

Elano Blumer (9 and 69 min), Jeje Lalpekhlua (26) and John Stiven Mendoza Valencia (41 and 44) scored for Chennaiyin FC while Syed Rahim Nabi scored the consolation goal for Mumbai City FC three minutes from time in the 5-1 loss for the visitors.

Mumbai City FC had once more more of the possession but could not find the goals to show for their effort as Chennaiyin’s FC cleverly used their chances to score.

The visitors were a bit unlucky at the start of the match and the combination of errors and bad luck meant that they were constantly trying to catch up with their opponents.

“I don’t want to take anything away from our opponents. They played superb football, and it was a tough game for us,” Mumbai City FC coach Peter Reid said after the match.

The first bit of bad luck struck in the sixth minute when an outstretched leg of Manuel Friedrich hit Columbian Mendoza while trying to clear the ball and Elano Blumer scored from the ensuing penalty despite custodian Subrata Pal diving in the correct direction.

The early goal meant that Mumbai City FC was forced to press higher to seek an equaliser and that left more space for the hosts to exploit on the counter. Though Subrata came up with a couple of great saves to keep the Chennaiyin strikers at bay, Jeje Lalpekhula managed to sneak one past the custodian in the 26th minute and then Mendoza Valencia added a brace to make the task all the more difficult for the visitors. Chennaiyin FC were leading 4-0 at the break.

On the other side, Mumbai City FC were making some promising moves with Frenchman Nicolas Anelka, who was making his Indian Super League debut, showed some of his magic as he came up with a couple of defence splitting passes for Subhash Singh but his attempts were blocked by Chennaiyin FC custodian Shilton Paul. Mumbai City FC came back stronger in the second half and put pressure on the home team and were duly rewarded when skipper Nabi nodded home from a corner. But that was too little too late.

“We definitely need to work on our defence. We need to be a lot tighter at the back, and we need to work on our passing at the back as well,” Reid admitted.

The coach, however, said that criticizing individuals is not right. “It’s a team game, you can not point fingers at individuals (for the loss). We are going to train harder, we are going to work harder, and we would fight back,” the coach said.

Reid was also satisfied with Nabi’s show and said the man has shown some consistency. “Nabi and Anelka are important, and I am expecting a lot from them in the future games. Nabi has been consistent, and that is an important thing for us,” he added.

Result: Chennaiyin FC 5 (Elano Blumer 9, 69; Jeje 26; John Stiven Mendoza Valencia 41, 44) bt Mumbai City FC 1 (Syed Rahim Nabi 87);

Hero Man of the Match: Elano Blumer; Swift moment of the Match: John Stiven Mendoza Valencia; Fittest player of the Match: Subhash Singh; Emerging player of the Match: Jeje

The post MUMBAI CITY FC go down 1-5 to Chennaiyin FC appeared first on Football Counter.

The post Harley Davidson rally escorts FC Goa team bus to stadium at its opening match appeared first on Football Counter.

Panaji, 14, Oct 2014: FC Goa will take on Chennaiyans FC at its opening match on 15th October 2014 at 7pm at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Goa, FC Goa’s home ground. The traffic arrangement plan is as below.

Traffic Arrangement for FC Goa’s opening match

FLOW OF TRAFFIC

1. The entire Padre Pedro Ferrao Road from Ambaji Junction to Fatorda Junction will be closed for General Traffic and only VVIP/ VIP pass holder/ vehicles of Match Referee / Match Commissioner, vehicle of Owners of Team, Player Coaches and local Residents will be allowed to proceed via this road.
2. The VVIP/ VIP pass holder cars will be allowed to proceed via Ambaji Junction towards Fatorda PJN Stadium and their vehicle will enter through Gate No. 1. Their car will park inside stadium at VVIP/VIP parking slot.
3. The vehicle of Match Referee, Match Commissioner, vehicles of Owners of Teams and Senior Officials vehicles of Indian Super League will be allowed to proceed via Ambaji Junction toward FatordaPJN Stadiumand their vehicle will enter through Gate No. 1. Their car will park inside stadium at VVIP/VIP parking slot.
4. The Players coach will be allowed to proceed proceed via Ambaji Junction toward Fatorda PJN Stadium and their vehicle will enter through Gate No. 1 inside stadium and the Coach will be parked at Players Coach Parking Slot behind West Stand of the Stadium.
5. The General Public Ticket Holders from North side i.e. from Vasco/ Panaji/ Mapusa side (NH 17) will be diverted at Ambaji Junction toward RavindraBhavan via Old Market Circle and will be allowed to Pickup Stand, SAG Football Ground and Joggers Park.
6. The General Public Ticket Holders from South side i.e.Quepem/ Cuncolim/ Colva/ Margao City (South side) will enter through AbadeFaria Road, Old Market Circle and proceed toward SGPDA Market will park their vehicle at SGPDA Football Ground and RavindraBhavanMargao.
7. The General Public Ticket Holders from South side i.e from Ponda/ Raia, will enter through Arlem Circle toward Fatorda by SH-5  and proceed toward Swimming Pool Circle and will park their vehicles on Joggers Park, SGPDA Pickup Stand, SAG Football Ground and RavindraBhavan, Margao.

The arrangements for entrance at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao are as under:

Gate 1: Teams, Officials, VVIPs

Gate 2: Closed

Gate 3: Media and press

Gate 4: West stand ticket holders

Gate 5: North stand ticket holders

Gate 6, 7: East stand ticket holders

Gate 8, 9: South stand ticket holders

Gate 10: Service gate

The post Traffic Arrangement for FC Goa’s opening match appeared first on Football Counter.

Panaji, 12 Oct 2014: Tickets to the much awaited opening game between FC Goa and Chennaiyans FC to be held at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on October 15, 2014 are sold out.

FC Goa will play its first match against Chennaiyans FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on October 15, 2014 at 7pm.

The Hero Indian Super League, India’s unrivalled football championship kicked off on 12th October 2014 with a match against Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC at Salt Lake City stadium in Kolkata.

 FC Goa had partnered with online ticketing portal BookMyShow.com for ticket sales. Tickets to the home matches are live on the portal.  

Tickets to the other matches are priced at Rs 100 (North and South Stand), Rs 200 (East Stand) and Rs 300 (West Stand). Tickets at corporate boxes will be available at Rs 2500. Season Passes for home matches are also available. For every six home matches you buy, you would get one free

In addition to Book My Show, tickets can also be bought from a number of venues across the state, including Cafe Coffee Day outlets, The Mobile Shop stores and select Videocon outlets. Ticketing booths have also been set up at the PJN Stadium Fatorda, FC Goa’s home ground from where tickets can be bought.

The post Tickets to FC Goa’s opening match sold out appeared first on Football Counter.