After the win in a controversial manner last week, Goa resumes its campaign with a clash against Hyderabad in Indian Football League 2020-21.
Match Timings: Dec 30, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Hyderabad and Goa will face each other in the final clash of 2020 in the Indian Football League. Both sides are sitting in the middle of the table, and three points from this game will fancy their chances in the points table. Goa has the best opportunity to enter in 2021 with a third spot in the points table. With three wins and two draws, Gaurs now has 11 points from seven games, just one point behind the playoff position. In the previous encounter, they ran out winners against the Red Miners dramatically as the referee denied Alex Lima’s goal in the second half, which made a big difference.
Jamshedpur started the scoring from an Aitor Monroy set-piece as Stephen Eze netted his second goal of the season. The top scorer of the current season, Igor Angulo, scored the equaliser through a penalty in the second half. The Red Miners almost took the lead when Alex Lima sent the ball past Mohammad Nawaz, but the referee didn’t award a clear goal. Goa took advantage of the poor referring, and they attacked strongly against the wounded opponent. Igor Angulo completed his brace with an Edu Bedia corner-kick from the back of his head. Goa’s conversion from defense to attack lacked in this game too. Rebello lost the ball easily, and Edu Bedia played too deep. Brandon Fernandes and Jorge Ortiz had a poor outing in midfield as they didn’t trouble Jamshedpur's defense.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Kerala in Bambolim. The game between the two sides started with some early chances, but both failed to deliver. For Nizams, Asish Rai failed to control a long ball, and later, they almost had a penalty as Aridane Santana was pushed by Nishu Kumar. The early pressure gave a chance to Kerala, and Abdul Hakku sent the ball past Asish Rai. Hyderabad tried for the equaliser, and even Santana came close but missed a superb chance after the cooling break.
The defense was again average for Hyderabad in the second half, but the forward line pushed hard to score an equaliser. Fran Sandaza got an opportunity in the 87th minute, but Kerala’s goalkeeper made the fine save. Jordan Murray sealed the game by scoring the second goal for Kerala in the 88th minute of the match. The worst thing for Hyderabad was, Santana missed so many chances, and Liston Colaco didn’t create a single chance. Nizams can see this game as the ticket to the fifth spot with nine points in the pocket. Defeats in the last two games made things slightly worse for them, and they would keen to avoid hattrick of the losses. Both sides locked horns twice in the previous season, and on both occasions, Goa had the last laugh.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Hyderabad
Subrata Pal, Asish Rai, Odei Onaindia, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra, Joao Victor, Hitesh Sharma, Halicharan Narzary, Mohammed Yasir, Liston Colaco, Aridane Santana
Current Form: L L W D D
Previous match: 2-0 loss against Kerala
Goa
Mohammad Nawaz, Saviour Gama, Ivan Gonzalez, Seriton Fernandes, James Donachie, Edu Bedia, Princeton Rebello, Brandon Fernandes, Alexander Jesuraj, Jorge Mendoza, Igor Angulo
Current Form: W L L W W
Previous match: 2-1 victory against Jamshedpur
Key Players
Hyderabad
Liston Colaco
2 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
Aridane Santana
4 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Goa
Igor Angulo
8 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Alexander Jesuraj
3 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
