Fatorda, Goa (The Hawk): In the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) 2022–23 season, FC Goa's first home game saw them triumph over Jamshedpur FC 3-0 on Thursday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
FC Goa won in their return to their home stadium thanks to goals from Iker Guarrotxena, Noah Sadaoui, and Brison Fernandes in the 93rd and 94th minutes, respectively.
Two changes were made to each team's starting eleven. Fares Arnout took Marc Valiente's position in defence, and the hosts were happy to see Dheeraj Moirangthem return to goal. Eli Sabia replaced Pratik Chaudhari in the defence for the visitors, who also made a change. Jamshedpur FC changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Harry Sawyer moving to the sidelines and Jitendra Singh moving into the middle of the field.
Guarrotxena's goal gave FC Goa a quick lead after just two minutes. Edu Bedia on the right wing received a short corner from Brandon Fernandes. The ball missed a sneaky flip from Redeem Tlang as the Spaniard whipped a cross in, finding Guarrotxena, whose clinical tap-in gave the Gaurs the lead.
Ten minutes into the game, Arnaout was stretchered off and replaced by midfielder Glan Martins, dealing the hosts a setback. Since Martins was able to fill in as the centre back, head coach Carlos Pena did not alter the formation.
Just two minutes after the replacement, the Gaurs built a two-goal lead, preventing the Red Miners from taking advantage of the situation. Brandon made a beautiful defense-splitting pass from midfield to Noah Wail Sadaoui. To increase FC Goa's lead by two goals, the striker maintained his left-footed effort low and forceful.
Wellington Priori evaded his defender toward the conclusion of the first half and blasted a shot goalward. It was matched by a solid save from Dheeraj. Sadoui continued to provide a threat to the Jamshedpur FC defence on the other end. Tiang's header in first-half injury time was deflected over the bar by Rehenesh after Sadoui crossed the ball in from the left flank.
Aidy Boothroyd, the head coach of Jamshedpur FC, switched to a 4-4-2 in the second half, taking off Sabia and Jitendra and replacing them with Sawyer and Pratik. Priori was substituted by striker Jay Thomas after ten minutes in an effort to give the club more offensive zeal. The Gaurs, however, managed to repel every assailant.
In the final seconds of the second half, FC Goa scored their third goal. As Saviour Gama threw a low ball towards Brison, the substitutes combined. Brison controlled the ball at his feet before slamming it past Rehenesh in the 93rd minute just five minutes after entering the game.
With nine points after the victory, FC Goa moves into second place in the ISL standings. On November 13, the Gaurs will travel to Kochi to take on the Kerala Blasters. The Red Miners, on the other hand, have four points after four games and fall from sixth to ninth in the league. On November 9, they host Hyderabad FC in their following match.
(Inputs from Agencies)