‘Complete dominance’ – FC Goa put up an all-round show to school Jamshedpur

FC Goa put up an all-round show to clinch an important and dominant win over Jamshedpur in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday at the Fatorda Stadium.

Unlike their last three matches were the Gaurs kept it late to either win or seal a draw, against Jamshedpur they looked to dominate proceedings right from the off and score early in the match. Coach Juan Ferrando had suggested on multiple occasions in the past that he wants his team to take their chances and finish off games early and that is exactly what the Gaurs did on Thursday.

Jorge Ortiz, the star of the match, started up front in the absence of Igor Angulo, who was benched for the first time this season due to an illness as confirmed by coach Juan Ferrando after the match. The top scorer of the league was not missed by the Gaurs as his compatriot had a terrific outing against the Men of Steel. Ortiz scored twice in the game, worked extremely hard and was almost everywhere in the attacking third. In fact, the Spanish striker could have very well scored a hat-trick had luck been on his side.

Ortiz was ably supported by Alberto Noguera, who started as the number 10 and played an instrumental role in two out of the three goals. He had an enormous presence in the midfield and his pinpoint through passes split open the Jamshedpur defence on multiple occasions.

88.9% – For a player with a minimum of 15 tackles in the current campaign of the #ISL, @FCGoaOfficial’s @NogueraAlberto has the highest tackle success rate of 88.9%. He has won 16 of his 18 tackles this season. Determined. #FCGJFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/A6mouNmdm7

— OptaJeev (@OptaJeev) January 14, 2021

Goalkeeper Naveen Kumar, who started for the first time this season, was also in red hot form and stopped multiple goal-scoring opportunities of Jamshedpur. In fact, the goalkeeper earned plaudits from opposition manager Owen Coyle who believed Kumar had a big role in foilling Jamshedpur failing to score.

Jamshedpur did not enjoy much possession in the game but were dangerous in their counter-attacks. They looked threatening at times but could not convert the chances they got. Also, they lost skipper Peter Hartley midway into the game due to an injury. The British limped out of the ground in the second half leaving the Jamshedpur backline vulnerable. 

Their midfield wasn’t compact compared to their previous games and it was a rare off day for Mobashir Rahman. The Indian midfielder has been massively impressive under Coyle’s tutelage this season. Unfortunately, Rahman had a bad day in the office, allowing too much space for the Goans. 

Jamshedpur, while a team capable of troubling any defence, looked a bit one-dimensional against FC Goa going forward. Striker Nerijus Valskis was shorn of quality service and could not have much impact on the game. However, he did get a good chance in the first half and had he converted that, Coyle’s men would’ve made a better game of it. But it was not to be.

It was a match to forget for the Men of Steel who had a good chance of reclaiming a top-four slot. Instead, Goa reduced their gap with the top two teams and got the much-needed confidence at the half stage of the league.