There has been no dearth in drama in the Indian Super League this season. Same can be said about the goals, which have been galoring in big numbers nearly every game. East Bengal, who were earlier involved in a sensational 10-goal thriller against Odisha, were once again in picture on Tuesday and played out a 7-goal fixture this time.
Unfortunately for the side, they lost on both occasions. This time, however, they had thrown a much better fight, getting back at the much stronger Goa unit on three occasions, but once the fourth goal went in, that was curtains for the splendid spirit Bengal showed on the day.
The away side, FC Goa, had total control of possession and won the early exchanges quite comfortably. They also opened the scoring with an absolute stunner from 30 yards, flying from the boot of Alberto Noguera.
An equalizer followed around 10 minutes later, when Seriton’s foul gave Odisha a free-kick just outside the box. Antonio Perosevic’s initial attempt was blocked by the wall, and when it fell again for him, he thundered it even harder this time. He hit the upright and managed to squeeze the ball in.
Goa got a penalty a few minutes later, with Seriton, who conceded the freekick that led to the goal, winning a foul in the opposition box this time. Jorge Oritz converted the spotkick, only to see Dervisevic equalize for the Red and Gold brigade in the next five minutes.
His freekick curled in from long-range met no head in the box, but managed to squeeze through a crowd of players, into the net.
Much to the disappointment of Bengal, right on the cusp of half-time, an own goal Perosevic saw them head into the dressing room with their heads down, but they came out strongly, and the very man who conceded the own goal ended up scoring to equalize for the third time in the game.
Both sides had some heated exchanges in the next 25 minutes. Despite Goa having plenty of control on possession, Bengal had their moments on the break. But much deservedly, the winner came Goa’s way when Noguera got his second on the night, set up by a smart dummy from Ortiz.
They managed to see the game through with that lead and earned three crucial points after a gruelling outing of 90 minutes. After three straight defeats, Goa registered their first win of the tournament in a thumping fashion, and this should get their campaign kick-started as they play some sumptuous football on their day.
