ISL 2020-21: Igor Angulo's sole strike allows FC Goa to edge past Odisha FC

This was FC Goa’s second win of the season in five games, along with two draws and a loss, as they have risen to the fourth spot. Meanwhile, for Odisha FC, this was their fourth loss of the season in five matches and are winless, as they remain in the 10th spot.

In what was another nail-biting thriller, FC Goa edged past Odisha FC 1-0 in their Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 clash on Saturday, thanks to the sole strike from Igor Angulo. The win allowed Goa to rise to the fourth spot in the table, while Odisha stayed winless, so far, in their five matches.

The first half was an attacking one, which saw as many as seven attacks. FC Goa were all over the place, as they came up with six attempts during this phase, while Odisha looked lacklustre throughout and could only come up with an attack.

Nonetheless, it was the eighth attack of the half that saw Igor Angulo fiercely strike with his left foot to the bottom right corner of the goal from the centre of the box at the stroke of half-time. It gave Goa the much-needed and deserving lead at the end of the first half.

The second half saw an even intense attack from the Goans. In a total of 17 attempts, the Goans came up with 14 attacks, only to be shot wide or denied by Odisha’s frustrating defence. Nevertheless, it was Goa’s first half lead that was enough to secure them the crucial three points, as the referee blew the final whistle.

Following the game, Angulo’s was delighted, as he said, “[Ferran Corominas comparisons] I always have pressure as a striker. We, fortunately, won 1-0 today and took three important points. {On Romario’s pass] Romario gave me a very good pass and I took advantage and scored an important goal. To score the goal was important and then we controlled the game and played much better than them and deserved the win.”

“[Lone striker or with partner] I don’t mind – this is question for the coach. What I want is to play and to be on the pitch for 90 minutes. I know at the beginning or in the end I will have chances to score and I don’t mind if I play as a lone striker or with a striking partner. [Target number of goals] I do not have concrete target as to how many goals I want to score this season. The most important thing is the collective target and it is to win every single game. And then, to reach top-four and then, win the semifinal and then, the final,” added Angulo.

Meanwhile, Goa’s head coach Juan Ferrando was impressed with their attack but reckoned that they still have work to do for their next game against ATK Mohun Bagan. “For me, today was important to work in transition. I was not so happy in the first half but, of course, after the goal, we found more spaces and the team was good in attack. But it is important to continue working. Our focus is now on our upcoming game against ATK Mohun Bagan. The game against ATK Mohun Bagan is a very important and in my opinion, they are a very competitive team. It is last season’s champion team. Their style is so hard for us and it is necessary to recover. We want three points (from the game) and need to make new plans,” he reckoned.

As for Odisha’s head coach Stuart Baxter, he was obviously disappointed, as he said, “We tried to deny them spaces and we just did not manage it well enough because our possession was not great. The quality on the turnover was just not good enough to be a threat. I was not happy with the goal – it was not a great goal; it was a massive mistake from our side.”

“[On Marcelinho] He’s not a 100% fit. He has a shoulder injury that has been troubling him. When he can’t train 100%, you are a bit doubtful when you can start him. And then, it’s when he can come off the bench. We were so stretched out I did not think I could have brought him on earlier. We love his skill and ability, but weaving that into the fabric of the team is not the easiest one,” added Baxter.

“[On his side’s forwards] We had maybe a few situations that you can call semi-dangerous and we wasted a few set plays, but apart from that, we gave nothing away. We are not transferring enough from the training ground to match arena. Until we do that, we will see the same thing. We need better service in the box and play with more confidence without turning the ball over after three-four passes. It’s a vicious circle, until we play with more confidence it will pretty much be the same thing,” Baxter concluded.