NorthEast United claimed their first win over FC Goa since the inception of the Indian Super League as Emiliano Alfaro scored twice to give Nelo Vingada's side the three points and a spot at the top of the ISL leaderboard with six points and two wins from two matches.
Going into this match, NorthEast knew that they had never beaten Goa and that the away team had only lost four matches on the road in the history of the ISL. Despite Uruguayan Alfaro scoring once in each half, the match was closer than it seemed with Goa making a decent fist of the match with a depleted fact.
The plaudits went to the goalscorers, but this was a tale of two keepers..
Subrata Paul redeems himself
It must not be forgotten that Subrata Paul is a legend of Indian football, and the 29-year old is the second highest capped player in the most recent Indian squad; his 64 caps next only to Sunil Chhetri in the 30-man squad.
The past couple of years haven't been kind to Paul though. He played for Nicolas Anelka at Mumbai City FC but was let go despite having a longer contract, as a result of his own poor performances coupled with the franchise's finish outside the top four.
The national team hasn't been any better: Paul has made way to 24-year old Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who has quickly established himself as No. 1 between the sticks.
On Tuesday, Paul was superb, making multiple saves to deny the Gaurs with the score at 1-0. He wasn't the jittery custodian we saw in the first game against Kerala and fully deserved his clean sheet.
His best save of the match came off Jofre's well-struck low shot from Mandar Rao Desai's cross. Had that gone in, the scores would have been level 1-1 going into half-time.
Laxmikant Kattimani makes a howler
Goa's run to the final was credited to a lot of factors: Zico's astuteness, Lucio's captaincy and solidity at the back and among others, Kattimani's keeping which came as a revelation to the Western franchise and to the viewers of the League.
The first goal, which came after 20 minutes, was entirely avoidable and was Kattimani's sole fault. Lucio, receiving the ball more than 20 yards out passed it back to the keeper in order for it, presumably, to be kicked long.
Alfaro, not one to let go of a lost cause chased after the ball but had a lot of ground to cover, giving the Goa keeper ample time to clear it.
But Kattimani dawdled with the ball, panicked when he saw Alfaro coming near and kicked it against the NorthEast striker which ricocheted against his belly and went into give the home team the most unlikeliest of leads.
Kattimani wasn't exactly solid for the second goal either; Alfaro's shot going through his leg to give NorthEast their second 30 minutes from time. It would always be an uphill task for Goa to come back.
Goa's selection to be questioned
For Zico, aiming to win the title in his third year coaching FC Goa in the ISL, the selection of the 25-man squad prior to the start of the tournament was full of surprises.
Out of the 25, Robin Singh, Denzil Franco, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Gregory Arnolin and Luciano Sobrosa were injured and would not take any part in the opener.
He started the match with a 4-4-1-1 opting to leave Romeo Fernandes out; Sanjay Balmuchu a surprising pick in midfield. Last year, Zico's preferred 3-5-2 formation was the one that brought the side a lot of success.
At the break, Zico hooked Balmuchu, replacing him with Fernandes as they changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Romeo and Mandar played as the two wingers, with Jofre operating as a no. 10, as Goa looked much more effective in the second half.
But the damage had been done, as Goa were left chasing the game and conceded one more, as they failed to recover from an early setback. The margin of the defeat could have been more if Alfaro's shot into an open net had not been blocked by Raju Gaikwad on the line, after Nico Velez's pass found the Uruguayan with time and space to shoot with the keeper off his line.
Vingada's gamble of resting his side's best player, Velez, paid off as NorthEast managed to win with the Argentine coming on a substitute. This ensured that the "Professor" will have Velez fit and raring to go when they visit Mumbai City FC on October 7.
Goa will have a lot of thinking to do, but will be glad to head back home as they host FC Pune City at Fatorda on October 8.
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