Goa: FC Goa notched up a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Chennaiyin FC to seal the second spot in the Indian Super League points tabe here Thursday.
Goa nw has 34 points, same as Bengaluru FC, but on head-to-head equation a tad behind on the table. With both BFC and FC Goa finishing their league engagements, it’s clear now that the two will play their second-leg semi-final games at home on March 11 and March 12 respectively. Goa’s star Ferran Corominas extended his lead to 14 goals in the race for Golden Boot award, scoring the winner for Sergio Lobera’s team in the 26th minute.
The loss saw Chennaiyin FC finish bottom of the league with just nine points from 18 games – the lowest tally ever managed by an ISL team. FC Goa dominated the ball with ease and forced Chennaiyin FC to defend deep and in numbers.
Both teams went on to fashion several half chances but a goal remained elusive. It did come in the 26th minute for Goa when Ahmed Jahouh picked out Jackichand Singh’s run into the penalty box with a lovely long ball.
The winger went on to cushion a first-time pass for Coro who picked his spot past a helpless Karanjit Singh to score his 14th goal of the season. Goa continued to enjoy the upperhand as the first half went on while Chennaiyin struggled to get hold of the ball.
The narrative remained pretty much the same after the break as well. The Gaurs looked content to slow down the game by holding on to the ball and deny Chenaniyn any chance to recover, except a close call in the 49th minute through a set piece which Jeje had a opportunistic chance to net it but it went over. Goa went on to see out the game with ease and inflict a 13th loss of the season on Chennaiyin FC.
Both teams created a few half-chances in the final 20 minutes but there were no further goals in the match. The contest ended 1-0 in the home team’s favour.
Ferran Corominas once again proved why he is FC Goa’s talisman and made all the difference on the night with the only goal of the match. He is the Hero of the Match. (PTI)
