FC Goa put up a spirited display and could have got three points on another day but Atletico de Kolkata snatched a stoppage-time winner from Stephen Pearson to win 2-1 at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday and jump to the second in the table.
It is still mathematically possible for Goa to qualify for the semi-finals but they will now have to wait for the rest of the results of the other games while winning theirs to know their fate. It was a classic case of two halves as ATK survived a substantial amount of pressure from the home side in the second half, who gave it their all in the pursuit of three points.
Pressing high and attacking with overlapping full-backs, Goa kept bombarding Debjit Majumder’s goal with tremendous gusto. Their reward came 11 minutes from time as Mandar Rao Desai’s accurate shot flew past the keeper’s dive to the left, finding the corner of the net.
Desai and Romeo Fernandes worked tirelessly, shuttling from one end to the other with the ball. They probably missed a trick in benching Julio Cesar, who looked threatening from the moment he came on.
With Goa going for broke on the other side of the break, ATK got a number of chances on the counter-attack. The Gaurs were kept in the game by a solid defence led by Gregory Arnolin and Laxmikant Kattimani, who was outstanding between the sticks.
The Goans allowed ATK to dictate terms from the first whistle and were lucky to have not trailed by more than a goal at the break. Kattimani pulled off a magnificent save from Javi Lara’s shot from close range. Helder Postiga went missing in the second half but was a constant menace in the first. He struck the bar from a Javi Lara corner.
Slack marking by Goa at the far post allowed Juan Belencoso to comfortably net the opener, latching on to an quality left-wing cross from Abinash Ruidas. Goa fought hard but lacked finesse in the final third, which is probably what cost them the game. Having poured men forward, ATK found themselves in a 3 vs 1 position in attack in the final stages.
Substitute Sameehg Doutie struck the bar in the first minute of stoppage time. A minute later, from a similar situation, ATK made no mistake to break Goan hearts with a simple tap-in from Pearson.
Brief scores:
FC Goa 1 (Mandar Rao Desai) lose to Atletico de Kolkata 2 (Juan Belencoso, Stephen Pearson)
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!