FC Goa earned their second consecutive point in their debut campaign in the AFC Champions League as they frustrated Abu Dhabi-based club Al Wahda and held them to a goalless draw at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao on Saturday.
In yet another resilient effort, Goa even managed to give the more fancied Al Wahda side few scares in the second half, with the Emirati club’s backline struggling to cope with the pace and movement of FC Goa substitute Devendra Murgaonkar on a few occasions. The Juan Ferrando-coached side came closest to scoring when India midfielder Brandon Fernandes hit the post in the 54th minute. Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh too made a few crucial saves, including one right at the death to secure the point for Goa. The draw left Goa with two points from two games and provisionally second in the standings before group-toppers Persepolis’ late-night clash against Al-Rayyan.
Ferrando named an unchanged line-up for the game, sticking with the 11 that started in the goalless draw against Al-Rayyan on Wednesday. With midfielders Edu Bedia, Glan Martins and Brandon Fernandes all contributing to the defensive chores, Al Wahda struggled to penetrate the Goa backline.
Like in their opener against Al-Rayyan, FC Goa were resolute at the back and kept their shape well when without the ball. The opponents grew increasingly frustrated as the game progressed, with chances coming at a premium. Goa sat deep and managed to keep Al Wahda at bay for most of the first half, with Dheeraj being called into action on a couple of occasions. The best chance of the half came in the 44th minute when Al Wahda broke with four players against just one Goa defender. But forward Tim Matavz decided to shoot instead of passing to Ismaeil Matar who was free on the left; and Dheeraj dived to his left to keep Matavz’s shot out.
In the second half, Al Wahda continued to have more of the ball but left spaces at the back that Goa occasionally exploited. A few minutes into the half, Ferrando replaced forward Ishan Pandita with Murgaonkar; and the change almost immediately paid off. In the 54th minute, Murgaonkar made a clever run down the left flank and was unspotted by the time he received a throw-in. He passed the ball to Jorge Ortiz whose pass into the box was hastily cleared. The ball fell to the onrushing Brandon, whose shot hit the post.
Six minutes later, Al Wahda had the chance when Khalil Ibrahim’s cross from the right found Syrian forward Omar Khrbin unmarked. Khrbin’s header, however, was straight into Dheeraj’s hands.
In the 73rd minute, Goa came close when Murgaonkar put a foot out in front of the goal to meet Brandon’s cross from the right flank. However, Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shamsi denied the Indian forward.
Murgaonkar made another good run in the 79th minute, this time from the right, but was again unable to find someone in the middle. Al Wahda’s clearance was meek and Martins followed up with a powerful long-range effort, only for it to be deflected wide. The chance came just after Dheeraj had denied Matar.
In the final minute of regulation time, a save by Dheeraj was followed by a last-ditch clearance from Seriton Fernandes. Then in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Dheeraj pulled off another crucial save. With Khrbin meeting a cross from Ibrahim, Dheeraj dived to his right and saved from point-blank range, seconds before the referee blew the final whistle.
FC Goa will next face reigning Iranian champions Persepolis, who were runners-up in last season’s edition as well as in 2018, on Tuesday.
