Hero ISL 2023: FC Goa Climb To Fourth Place Following Draw Against Odisha FC

Following a 1-1 tie with Odisha FC on Monday at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, FC Goa extended their undefeated streak in the present Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 to four games. Whenio Diego Mauricio equalised the score for the home team shortly before halftime, Noah Sadaoui had given the Men in Orange a dream start with his goal in the second minute itself. Lenny Rodrigues and Alvaro Vazquez were inserted into FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena's starting XI earlier in the day, replacing Edu Bedia and Devendra Murgaokar, respectively. Within 90 seconds of the game's start, Vazquez played a goal that gave the Gaurs the advantage.Noah Sadaoui received a defense-splitting pass from the left, scooped it up, and sped into the Odisha box before scoring past goalie Amrinder Singh. Despite losing the lead, the home team handled the situation well and made a number of attempts to come back into the game. Finally, right beyond the Goa area, in the 43rd minute, Mauricio's straight free-kick attempt beat Dheeraj Singh and went into the goal.

Despite losing a man, Odisha manages to keep the gaurs

After the ends were switched, FC Goa did well to continuously put the defence of Odisha FC in jeopardy.Vazquez once outran Amrinder to score, but the goal was disallowed because the Spaniard was considered to be offside. The hosts were reduced to 10 men as Sahil Panwar received his second yellow card at the 67-minute mark, giving Carlos Pena's team a further boost. However, they were unable to recover with all three points in the next minutes due to a lack of bite in the final third. FC Goa did not create a clear-cut opportunity for the remainder of the game, with the exception of two distinct tries by substitute Hernan Santana in the 81st and 89th minutes, both of which were palmed away by Amrinder Singh. During this, the Juggernauts were likewise playing defensively.In the end, a draw occurred, with the winnings being split between both sides.

FC Goa are currently in fourth position in the league standings with 27 points after 17 games. On February 11, they have their next assignment: a home match against Mumbai City FC.