At the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, FC Goa was held to a 1-1 draw by NorthEast United FC as the first half of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023–24 season concluded. The undefeated FC Goa found an intriguing match on Friday against NorthEast United FC, who were looking for their first victory in six ISL games. Due to injury, Spanish midfielder Victor Rodriguez has not been playing for the Gaurs recently. Rodriguez has contributed three goals and three assists to the team’s campaign thus far.
Carlos Martinez, who had only scored twice this season, filled in for him temporarily as his departure necessitated that someone from the squad step up, according to an ISL press release. Prior to his goal, the Highlanders had already suffered a severe blow when their center-back, Michel Zabaco, needed to be taken off the field by stretcher in the fourteenth minute after seemingly pulling up a muscle. Martinez took advantage of the glaring hole in their defence left by his absence by outmuscling Asheer Akhtar and meeting a masterfully carved cross by Noah Sadaoui.
In the 20th minute, Raynier Fernandes’ pass to Noah at the edge of the box set up Martinez’s move, as he barely nodded the ball home to put his team ahead. Notwithstanding their recent string of dismal performances, Juan Pedro Benali deserves recognition for giving his team the opportunity to compete fiercely each time they take on a heavily favoured opponent. Parthib Gogoi had scored in three straight games from their opening encounter onward, setting an impressive early tone for the competition. As the campaign went on, his impact may have diminished a little bit, but Benali continued to believe in him and made the decision to make some changes in order to bring out the best in him once again.
He moved him to the right flank tonight and received immediate benefits for it. After edging past Jay Gupta, he curled in an impeccable cross for Jithin M.S., another forward. In the 26th minute, the latter easily navigated past Sandesh Jhingan and Odei Onaindia to hammer the ball past custodian Arshdeep Singh. As Gogoi and Jithin excelled up front, it was Mirshad Michu’s responsibility to maintain parity in the score at the back.
With lightning speed, Noah broke through the North East United FC defence and set up a pass for Carl McHugh, who was closing in. The defensive midfielder took a shot from outside the 18-yard line with his first touch, forcing Michu to dive full length to block the effort. Manolo Marquez, the head coach of FC Goa, was determined to secure three points, and he made a number of substitutions to try and secure the hard-to-get winner, including Boris Singh, Paulo Retre, and Muhammad Nemil. Although that did not materialise, FC Goa can be very proud of the first half of their campaign, as they did not lose a single game. After a disappointing overall ISL 2022–23 campaign, the Highlanders have a lot to gain in the second half of the season after some encouraging performances in recent months.
*Main Actor in the Game
Noah Sadaoui (FC Goa)
Noah Sadaoui frequently caused problems for the defence of NorthEast United FC. Along with finishing 23 of his 28 passes, recording one tackle, two interceptions, three goal-scoring opportunities, four fouls, nine crosses, and the assist on Martinez’s goal.
*What is next for both teams?
With this match, the ISL 2023–24 action has halfway finished. The Indian men’s national team will compete in the AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar during the season’s break for international action.
*Brief Scores
First FC Goa (Carlos Martinez 20′) and NorthEast United FC 1 (Jithin M.S. 26′).
