Durand Cup 2022: FC Goa hold Bengaluru FC to a 2-2 draw

Rebello’s
strike,
along
with
that
of
Phrangki
Buam
in
the
second
half
helped
them
script
a
memorable
day
for
Deggie
Cardozo’s
boys
as
they
held
the
southerners
to
a
2-2
draw
in
their
final
Durand
Cup
group
stage
clash
on
Tuesday.

Cardozo
made
three
alterations
to
the
starting
lineup
that
played
against
Jamshedpur
FC
last
week,
as
Shanon
Viegas,
Ayush
Chhetri
and
Muhammed
Nemil
made
way
for
Rayan
Roger
Menezes,
Rayan
Menezes
and
Mevan
Dias.
Their
formation
also
underwent
a
change,
as
the
Gaurs
lined
up
in
a
3-4-3
setup
as
opposed
to
the
usual
4-2-3-1.

Despite
facing
a
strong
opposition
in
Bengaluru
FC,
the
Gaurs
kept
their
composure
to
close
down
a
number
of
their
attacking
runs
in
the
first
half.
This
impressive
phase
could
have
lasted
longer,
had
Chhetri
not
found
the
back
of
the
net
for
Bengaluru
FC
in
the
23rd
minute
when
the
India
skipper
fired
home
with
a
direct
free-kick
from
just
outside
the
box.

Three
minutes
later,
Simon
Grayson’s
men
doubled
their
advantage
through
N.
Sivasakthi,
with
Udanta
Singh
credited
with
the
assist.
Television
replays
showed
that
Singh
had
moved
into
an
off-side
position
before
receiving
the
ball,
but
the
goal
was
allowed
to
stand
in
a
questionable
refereeing
decision.

A
two-goal
deficit
usually
means
additional
pressure
for
any
side,
but
the
Boys
in
Orange
went
on
to
prove
that
they
are
built
differently.
Returning
from
the
half-time
break,
Deggie
Cardozo’s
boys
doubled
their
pressure
on
the
ball.

It
was
only
a
matter
of
time
before
they
reaped
the
reward
for
it
as
Phrangki
Buam
scored
Goa’s
first
goal
of
the
match
in
the
54th
minute.
In
a
beautiful
move,
he
latched
on
to
a
loose
ball
just
outside
the
Bengaluru
box
before
sidestepping
the
goalkeeper
and
slotting
the
ball
into
an
empty
net.

Ten
minutes
later,
the
scoresheet
was
back
on
level
terms,
much
to
the
ecstasy
of
the
Gaurs.
A
lovely
lay-off
by
substitute
Vasim
Inamdar
found
skipper
Lesly
Rebello
in
an
unusual
forward
position.
The
skipper,
though,
kept
a
cool
head
and
fired
home
with
precision.

The
thirty-odd
minutes
that
followed,
although
goalless,
was
a
lesson
in
resilience
for
all
as
FC
Goa
refused
to
give
up
despite
Bengaluru
FC
switching
to
a
more
physical
style
of
play.

In
spite
of
this,
the
Gaurs
continued
to
cross
the
t’s
and
dot
the
i’s
with
such
meticulousness
that
the
experience
of
Grayson’s
men
did
not
matter
much.
Ultimately,
they
had
to
settle
for
a
draw.

FC
Goa
have
hence
wrapped
up
their
Durand
Cup
2022
campaign
with
four
points
from
four
matches.
Previously,
they
had
beaten
the
Indian
Air
Force
football
team
1-0,
in
the
only
victory
of
their
campaign.

Source:
FC
Goa