FC Goa vs Kerala Blasters FC: Clinical and efficient Gaurs edge past lackluster Blasters | ISL 2022-23

Firmly cementing their knockout bid, FC Goa registered a disciplined 3-1 victory over Kerala Blasters at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday, January 22.

The hosts pulled ahead in the first half with goals from Iker Guarrotxena and Noah Sadaoui. Although the Yellow Army pulled a goal back early in the second half, Redeem Tlang reestablished the two-goal cushion for the Goan side.

Right from the opening exchanges till the half-hour mark, the match unfolded as a cagey affair. FC Goa enjoyed a healthy lead in possession but lacked quality on the final ball. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters were happy to maintain shape and catch the opposition off-guard with their swiftness in transition.

However, in the 34th minute, Lady Luck smiled in favor of FC Goa. Saurav Mandal brought down Brandon Fernandes inside the Kerala Blasters box with a soft clip. The referee immediately pointed towards the penalty spot despite protests from the Blasters players.

Iker Gaurrotxena stepped up to take the penalty and thumped it low, hard, and effectively into the middle of the net. Prabhsukhan Singh Gill had no answer. The goal almost stunned the Blasters as they looked extremely vulnerable without the ball.

Carlos Pena's men sensed a lack of confidence in the visitors' stride and doubled their lead with a delicious solo effort from Noah Sadaoui.

Anwar Ali played a long diagonal ball trying to find the Moroccan international and Sandeep Singh further headed it into Noah's path. The explosive winger skipped past a challenge from a KBFC defender before calmly threading the ball past an on-rushing Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.

Going into the half-time break, the Gaurs enjoyed a healthy two-goal lead and looked extremely comfortable.

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FC Goa crude but effective in neutralizing Kerala Blasters FC in the second half

The wounded Kerala Blasters side came out in the hunt for revenge and it didn't take them long to pull a goal back. In the 51st minute, Adrian Luna stood over a set-piece situation and whipped in a curling ball into the opposition box. Dimitrios Diamantakos rose the highest and managed to guide the ball into the back of the net with utmost accuracy.

The Yellow Army were once again roaring and Ivan Vukomanovic was represented with a glimmer of hope. The visitors were all over FC Goa and the home crowd had understandably gone quiet.

However, completely against the run of play, in the 69th minute, the Blasters were caught off-guard while building out from the back.

Brandon Fernandes unlocked the opposition's defense with a slick through ball to find substitute Redeem Tlang. The explosive winger made no mistake inside the box and calmly found the back of the net. The Goan club restored their two-goal lead while Kerala Blasters had to string together a response all over again.

Despite Vukomanovic throwing in multiple fresh legs, the Kerala side couldn't script together a response as resounding enough to restore parity. Carlos Pena let out a sigh of relief after the end of the 14 additional minutes as his side secured three points.

With the positive result, FC Goa have now leapfrogged Odisha FC to go fifth in the points table. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters are still third in the rankings, 10 points behind second-placed Hyderabad FC.