New Delhi: FC Goa defeated Kerala Blasters 1-0 in Kochi on Thursday for their third consecutive win in the Indian Super League that lifted them to fifth in the standings.
Boris Singh struck his first goal of the ISL season in the 40th minute as Kerala slumped to their fourth loss in five games to be stuck at the ninth spot with 11 points from 10 games as Goa rose to 15 points after nine matches.
At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, a cagey contest unfolded as both teams wanted to hold on to ball possession.
Goa got the first opportunity to score when Iker Guarrotxena struck the post from a free-kick, taking the opposition defenders and Kerala keeper Sachin Suresh by surprise.
The away side were stronger as the first half went on. They got reward for their persistence when Sahil Tavora found Boris Singh on the right flank with a lot of space.
Kerala pay for keeping error
Singh’s shot from a narrow angle should have been a routine grab for Suresh but he failed in his attempt to parry the ball away as the ball landed in the net in the 40th minute after sliding off his hand.
The individual mistake handed Goa the lead at half-time and it allowed the visitors to start the second period on the front foot and nearly increased their lead when Dejan Drazic snuck in behind the Blasters’ backline but was denied by Suresh.
Kerala coach Mikael Stahre rejigged his players, bringing on Kwame Peprah, Korou Singh and Sandeep Singh to replace Jesus Jimenez, Rahul KP and Pritam Kotal, respectively, in the 56th minute.
Peprah’s weighted diagonal ball to Noah Sadaoui threatened to create an opening for Adrian Luna though the attempt was blocked by Akash Sangwan and as Kerala intensified pressure, Goas central defensive pairing of Odei Onaindia and Sandesh Jhingan held firm.
Aftr resisting Kerala for 84 minutes, Goa coach Manolo Marquez brought on fresh legs in the form of Armando Sadiku, Borja Herrera and Udanta Singh.
But it was Kerala who kept probing as FC Goa had to be alert to stop Korou, who took two attempts on goal in quick succession, but wasn’t successful.
Goa face Hyderabad FC in away game on December 4 while Kerala Blasters take on Bengaluru FC on December 7.
Boris Singh struck his first goal of the ISL season in the 40th minute as Kerala Blasters slumped to their fourth loss in five games to be stuck at the ninth spot with 11 points from 10 games as FC Goa rose to 15 points after nine matches. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
