FC Goa compounded misery for Odisha FC, beating the latter 1-0 in 25th match of the 7th Indian Super League (ISL) at the GMC Stadium in Goa today. Igor Angulo (45+1’) netted the only goal in the first-half stoppage time. This was second successive win for FC Goa and helped them climb to fourth position in the league table.

On the other hand, Odisha FC suffered fourth defeat and three in a row. The Bhubaneswar-based team continued to remain winless with just one point in their account from five games. Odisha FC escaped a much bigger defeat because of the lion-hearted performance by goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh, who saved at least five goals.

Vinit Rai was handed his first start of the season as Odisha made four changes to their line-up. FC Goa outplayed their opponents in the first half and headed into the break with a one-goal lead. The Gaurs dominated proceedings from the start while Odisha decided to stay compact and absorb the pressure.

Jorge Ortiz Mendoza, a constant threat on the left flank, had an opportunity to give Goa the lead during the 16th minute. Brandon Fernandes won the ball and threaded a pass for Ortiz on the left. The forward cut inside into acres of space but dragged his shot wide.

However, despite dominating possession, the Gaurs failed to penetrate the Odisha defence, who kept things tight at the back. Odisha, too applied pressure on the Goa backline towards the end of the first half, mainly through Diego Mauricio but backline of Goa did well to thwart the danger.

The perseverance of FC Goa finally paid off towards the end of the first half with Angulo getting himself on the scoresheet again. Romario beat his marker on the left and found the Spaniard in the box, who created space to fool Jacob Tratt before drilling his shot into the bottom left-handed corner.

The second half got off to an interesting start with both sides showing intent. Odisha pushed hard for an equaliser and nearly came close just before the hour mark. After a counter-attack, the ball fell to Cole Alexander, at the edge of the box. The midfielder, however, fired his shot wide.

The Gaurs fashioned two clear-cut opportunities during the 64th minute but Arshdeep produced a stunning double save to keep his side in the game. The Odisha custodian first blocked a shot from Angulo with his leg. The ball was eventually cleared and fell to Princeton Rebello. The substitute found Mendoza outside the box but the latter was denied as Arshdeep dived full stretch.

The Odisha FC keeper produced another double save during the dying minutes of the game, denying both Mendoza and Len Doungel. Jorge Mendoza was declared the Hero of the Match, while his teammate Alexander Jesuraj won the Winning Pass of the Match award. The Club Award was claimed by FC Goa.
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PHOTO: Igor Angula stays cool afrer scoring the match-winner against Odisha FC during match 25 of ISL7 at the Bambolim Stadium on 12 December, 2020.