Atletico de Kolkata have managed to get the equaliser. They pushed and pushed till the end and were finally rewarded in the 68th min when their stalwart, Fikru, scored off a penalty. The no.9, before the penalty, took a brilliant shot that came off the post. In the end, the solitary point has given what Kolkata wanted, a place in the final four.
Pody chests the ball inside the box and passes it behind for Fikru who turns nimbly and takes a shot. The keeper makes a good save.
37,238 fans here to witness this game. Can the home side oblige the majority of fans or will Goa spoil the party in the dying stages and suffice the smaller sect of fans?
Fikru nonchalantly runs towards the ball, sends the goalie to his right and slams it to his left. Kolkata right back into it now. With this score line Atletico de Kolkata will qualify for the knock out stages.
Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 FC Goa
Edgar sent off for a challenge against Fikru which looks like a very harsh call as there was no contact between the players in the penalty box. Penalty awarded to Atletico de Kolkata and Fikru makes no mistake.
Goal!!
That could have been the equaliser. Fikru takes a brilliant shot but the ball comes off the side post.
Pody crosses it towards the far post for Gacria who heads it wide of the post. Relentless from Kolkata.
Miguel Herlein takes a shot towards goal but it is deflected out for a corner by the defender.
As expected, Atletico de Kolkata are just attacking at the moment. They lead by a whooping 93% to 7%. It is has been one side traffic till now.
Baljit Sahni and Jewel tussle for the ball. Both pull each other but the ref gives a free-kick against the home side. Sahni was not happy with the decision.
Debabrata clears the ball but straight to Gacria who takes a touch and sends it way over the cross bar.
FC Goa have just conceded 11 goals. That is the least along with Kerala Blasters. It will take some magic from Kolkata to score against this formidable defense.
The score is still the same as FC Goa lead by 1 goal to nil against Atletico de Kolkata.
Garcia crosses it low inside the box. Pody gets to it but miss kicks it. The urgency visible in Kolkata's camp. They are going all guns blazing now.
A long throw towards Fikru forces the defender to come and fire the shot behind for a corner.
Garcia comes in for Nato. Expected change as Kolkata need to attack and find the equaliser.
Biswajit Saha makes way for Mohan.
The match is underway and Atletico de Kolkata need to find an answer very soon.
Half time changes!
Garcia comes in for Nato. Expected change as Kolkata need to attack and find the equaliser. Biswajit Saha makes way for Mohan.
Here we begin with the second half...
Half-time Score:
Atletico de Kolkata 0-1 FC Goa
Baljit Sahni gets the ball and tries to take a shot but the defender comes to cover it quickly. The ball squirts back to Pody who crosses it in towards Fikru but the defender clears it for a corner to evade danger.
Pody makes a good run as he pierces through the defense. He then crosses it towards Baljit Sahni but Bruno Pinheiro, once again, comes in the way and clears the ball. Prodigious defending from the player who started as an attacking player in the side.
Goa have pulled back things. They lead the attack index by 74% to 26% in the second period, 16-30 mins. They also scored in the 27th min to get the vital lead.
The FC Goa juggernaut has rolled on to Kolkata to take on a stuttering Atletico de Kolkata at the Salt Lake Stadium in the last match for either team in the league phase of the tournament.
Having already qualified for the semi-finals, Goa will want to finish the league campaign with a victory to avenge the 1-2 loss they suffered at home to the same opposition earlier in the season.
A win or draw for Goa will mean they will have gone unbeaten in the second half of the league campaign. Kolkata's qualification hopes are still up in the air. A win or draw will see them through, but a loss could knock them out of the tournament.
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