ISL: FC Goa turn to Manuel mode

MARGAO: Manuel Lanzarote responded to sharp-shooting responsibility with aplomb, twice pulling the trigger to shoot FC Goa to a 2-1 win over Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League match at the Nehru Stadium,
Fatorda, on Thursday.

On a night when compatriot and talisman

Ferran Corominas

fired blanks, the Spanish attacking midfielder sent home fans into delirium with a penalty conversion on the dot of halftime and a touch of panache while scoring the matchwinner on the hour after midfielder Brandon Fernandes split a doughty Jamshedpur defence.

Lanzarote’s strike revitalised the hosts when shoulders drooped and selfdoubts surfaced after Brazilian Trinidade Goncalves, formerly with FC Goa, produced the equaliser out of nothing in the 54th minute amid a transfixed FC Goa defence, largely castigated for frailties in the back-line this season.

But it was all's well that ends well for FC Goa as the hard-earned victory now lifts them to fourth spot from fifth in the 10-team league while Jamshedpur stay at seventh.

The hosts hogged possession in a stormy first half with rash tackles and backchatting marring proceedings and FC Goa's combative Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh was distinctly fortunate to stay on the pitch after picking up a yellow card for an indiscriminate challenge on Goncalves early in the match.

Even as FC Goa pieced together some attractive — and dangerous moves — Jamshedpur, it were, who looked threatening with Azuka Izu, the Nigerian, whose pile driver went wide of Kattimani’s left post midway through the first half.

The visitors agonized again when the impressive Bikash Jairu was denied by Mohamed Ali’s block but the hosts rode their dominance in possession to take control and force two gilt edged chances.

Coro, with nine goals under his belt in the campaign, produced damp squib with goalkeeper Subrata Paul at his mercy. With Jamshedpur back-pedalling, Narayan Das then essayed from distance just over the bar.

The pressure was bound to tell on even a defence as resilient as Jamshedpur and Brandon, effervescent on the night, was sent to ground by the subtlest of touches by Andrey Bikey to brook a hotly-contested penalty that resulted in a yellow card to the goalkeeper for haranguing with referee R Venkatesh.

Lanzarote needed to find the net twice to shoot FC Goa ahead after Brandon and Coro were pulled up for entering the area before the Spaniard took the spot kick. Lanzarote, however, produced a carbon copy of his first attempt with a delectable left footer to the extreme left of the goal.

A scuffle at half time suggested an expulsion was more than likely in the second half but happily play far from deteriorated and an injection of fresh legs in the form of Haitian forward Kervens Belfort reduced the lop-sided balance of possession when play resumed.

With the momentum shifting, Siddharth Singh found Goncalves with a pinpoint cross from the right flank and the Brazilian headed home, almost leisurely, for the equaliser, rendering Portuguese stopper Bruno Pinheiro a spectator.

Coro's bid to stave off impending despondency in the FC Goa ranks almost fetched a goal but the Spaniard chose to go for glory instead of turning to Brandon who begged for the ball.

But it was Lanzarote who made sure FC Goa wouldn't be punished when he accepted Brandon's clinical assist to send a left-foot curler to the right of Subrata’s goal.

The match could have been dead and buried had Edu Bedia, capitalizing on an uncharacteristic mix-up between Bikey and Jose Arroyo, shot into the side netting when he had only to walk the ball into goal.