Another late Ishan Pandita goal earned a point for FC Goa against Chennaiyin FC after a 2-2 draw in Match 92 of the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday. The Marina Machans were sharp in front of goal scoring twice and almost sealed the three points if not for the super substitute’s late goal.

  • Jakub Sylvestr drew first blood for Chennaiyin in the 13th minute.
  • Six minutes later, Igor Angulo scored from the spot to restore parity.
  • Lallianzuala Chhangte put Chennaiyin in front on the hour mark.
  • Chennaiyin almost sealed the victory but Ishan Pandita scored his 4th of the season from the bench to steal one very important point for FC Goa. 

A mistake from Dheeraj Singh almost gifted Chennaiyin the lead as early as the 3rd minute but the young custodian made up for his error by saving Manuel Lanzarote’s first-time effort. Chennaiyin kept the pressure on the Gaurs defence and eventually broke the deadlock in the 13th minute.

Jakub Sylvestr opened the scoring for Chennaiyin upon his return to the starting XI. The Slovakian striker received the ball from Reagan Singh inside the box and beat the FC Goa defenders before firing the shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Their lead lasted only for six minutes though, after Igor Angulo equalised in the 19th minute. Eli Sabia was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty box and Igor Angulo did the rest, however, it was disallowed on account of the players entering the box before the shot could be finished. It wasn’t to deter Angulo in any way and the result was the same in his second attempt making it 1-1 for the Gaurs.

Lallianzuala Chhangte’s effort then in the 40th minute was inches wide of the post. Shortly after in the 43rd minute, Sylvestr latched onto a misspass by Ivan Gonzalez but his effort only managed to rattle the post.

Almost immediately, Goa hit the Marina Machans on the counter and Angulo tested Vishal Kaith with a strong shot but the goalkeeper proved equal to the task. Both sides worked hard to take the lead but failed heading into the halftime break.

FC Goa began the second half brightly and attempted a shot on target in the 47th minute. Alexander Jesuraj delivered a low cross into the feet of Glan Martins but Kaith did well to save the shot.

Dheeraj denied Sylvestr in the 53rd minute after the Marina Machans striker found himself inside the FC Goa box and shot a Jerry Lalrinzuala cross towards the goal. Be that as it may, Chennaiyin went ahead for a second time in the 60th minute, with Chhangte finding the back of the net. Reagan crossed the ball into the Chennaiyin attacking third and the Indian winger took advantage of a miscommunication between the FC Goa defenders and the goalkeeper to slot the ball into the empty net.

The Marina Machans looked set for the win but FC Goa had other plans. In the second half injury time, Pandita latched onto a pass from Alberto Noguera and lifted the ball over Kaith deftly to score his second equalising goal in as many matches. Moving up to third on the table, the Gaurs have now drawn their 6th match in a row, while Chennaiyin find themselves in an almost impossible situation as regards their semis chances.

Hero of the Match: Ishan Pandita

The Indian attacker helped FC Goa to a late draw after scoring another important goal for the Gaurs. Ishan Pandita had only five touches of the ball during his time on the pitch, and three of them were “shots”, and he scored with his only shot on target. If the Gaurs qualify for the semis, they will have Pandita plenty to thank for that.  

Other Match Awards:

Club Award: Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa

DHL Winning Pass of the Match: Alberto Noguera (FC Goa)

Watch the Match Highlights here: