Al Zawraa have the last laugh in 2-0 win against FC Goa

Margao: This was supposed to be a beautiful night for FC Goa but it didn’t end as planned.
On their debut in the AFC Champions League Two, Asian football’s second-tier club competition, Goa turned up with a performance full of heart but were undone by two goals towards the dying minutes of either half against Al Zawraa.
It were the Jordanian internationals who struck for the Iraq Stars League outfit. Reziq Bani Hani drew first blood with only a minute left for the first half to end and Nizar Al-Rashdan scored in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time for a 2-0 win at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Wednesday.
When coach Manolo Marquez and the boys look at the replay, they’ll wonder how they ended conceding these goals, having survived other attempts from Al Zawraa which included a close-range attempt that struck the crossbar and another that required a reflex save from goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari.
This wasn’t a night to remember; it so easily could have been.
There were no surprises with Manolo’s starting 11. As revealed during the pre-match media interaction, Nim Dorjee replaced Sandesh Jhingan – among the substitutes, never with a chance to play – at the back, while all six foreigners took the field, despite doubts over captain Iker Guarrotxena who felt a strain in his hamstring during warmup.
Against a side that had six Iraq internationals, two Jordan national team players, one from Bahrain, and a former Cameroon international among the starters, Goa didn’t cow down. Instead, the hosts made a very proactive start. David Timor moved the ball confidently and his long cross-field passes that fell nicely at the feet of the forwards had danger written all over it but lacked the cutting edge upfront.
Even from set-pieces, including freekicks just outside the box, all that Goa did was either hit the wall or shoot wide of the target. Dejan Drazic’s usually impressive runs on the left didn’t work, while Borja Herrera, Javier Siverio and Brison Fernandes all missed with attempts from inside the box.
Only substitutes Ayush Chhetri – with his first touch after replacing Iker -- and Brison, from an extremely difficult angle, forced saves from Iraq captain and goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.
Al Zawraa have plenty of international experience and knew how to approach the game.
The visitors were compact at the back, played long if needed and were quick with counter attacks. Their opening goal came just before half-time after Hasan Abdulkareem and Reziq had their attempts blocked, before the latter pushed the ball inside the net, despite a crowded box.
In the second half, Goa took the battle to the opposition but were found wanting in front of goal. They had 20 attempts, just three of them on target.
Goa risked everything for the last 10 minutes in search of an equaliser, so opportunities at either end were inevitable. The hosts missed and Al Zawraa then silenced the home crowd with Nizar scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Slow to react, unsighted, or possibly thinking the ball was missing the target, Hrithik could not believe that he was beaten at the first post. Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief as the goalkeeper fetched the ball from inside the net.
This is continental football. You have to make the chances count.