Guwahati, Jan 14 (IANS) Jithin M.S. scored the crucial goal as NorthEast United FC came from behind to hold FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Tuesday. Mohammad Yasir had his fair share of luck when he handed the lead to the Gaurs but Jithin’ 76th minute strike saw the Highlanders split points. This was the 11th draw between these two teams, the most number of stalemates between two teams in ISL’s history.
The Highlanders started the game on the front foot as the likes of Guillermo Fernandez and Alaaeddine Ajaraie were making some marauding runs whilst keeping the FC Goa defenders on their toes. However, the first real opportunity came to the Gaurs when Dejan Drazic found Armando Sadiku with a telling cross in the penalty area. But unfortunately, the Albanian’s header was not strong enough to trouble Gurmeet Singh in goal.
Minutes later, Ajaraie almost opened the scoring when Buanthanglun Samte found him with a great long pass. The Moroccan was through on goal but his subsequent effort was tipped over the bar by Hritik Tiwari. Samte was enjoying a lot of space on the right flank and he unleashed some great crosses for Guillermo and Jithin MS. However, the NorthEast United FC forwards weren’t clinical enough to take their chances.
Despite absorbing the pressure from the hosts for the majority of the first half, FC Goa finished the half on a strong note. Although they didn’t break the deadlock, they created a few chances and controlled the tempo of the game in midfield, putting the pressure back on the Highlanders. The spell almost resulted in a goal when Brison Fernandes displayed excellent skill to lose his marker in the penalty area before his effort rifled into the crossbar on its way out.
NorthEast United FC started the second half with a lot of zeal just like they did in the first half. However, they lacked the cutting edge in the final third to break open FC Goa’s resolute backline.
In the 59th minute, assistant coach Naushad Moosa decided to change the dynamics of the game as he brought on Nestor Albiach and Ninthoinganba Meetei in place of Guillermo and Muthu Mayakkannan. Nestor almost made an instant impact when he combined with Ajaraei for a give-and-go and Hrithik lost the ball in the crowd, creating an opening for the Spaniard. But Odei Onaindia cleared the dangerous ball away from the goal.
FC Goa, completely against the run of play, broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Jay Gupta unleashed a long ball into the penalty area which was brought down by Mohammed Yasir and played towards Brison. The youngster played it back to Yasir, who hammered it into the bottom right corner, handing an important lead to the Gaurs.
The Highlanders bombarded the FC Goa penalty area with many long balls in search of securing the equaliser. However, their route one approach tonight worked in favour of the Gaurs as both Odei and Sandesh Jhingan looked pretty comfortable in clearing away the aerial balls or winning aerial duels against their NorthEast United FC counterparts.
After getting frustrated with a sustained spell of long balls, the Highlanders decided to hit FC Goa on the counter.
Ajaraie held the ball brilliantly before sending it to Jithin with a sensational through ball. The winger eventually slotted the ball past Hrithik in goal to bring the hosts back in the game in the 76th minute. Right after conceding the goal, Manolo Marquez unleashed Iker Guarrotxena and Ayush Chhetri replacing Sadiku and Brison to add more fresh legs in attack and midfield respectively. Both teams tried their luck in the final quarter but at the final whistle, there was nothing to separate them.
NorthEast United FC will travel to Kerala to face the Kerala Blasters on January 18 whereas FC Goa will host East Bengal FC on January 19.
–IANS
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