FC Goa beats Chennaiyin 2-1

GOA: Chennaiyin FC went down fighting 1-2 against FC Goa in a nail-biting knockout contest of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa on Saturday.

Noah Sadaoui (36th) and Brandon Fernandes (45th) netted the goals for the winning side, while Lazar Cirkovic (45+4) registered his name on the scoresheet for Chennaiyin.

The match saw a frantic start from both teams as they went into attacking mode from the get-go, aiming to gain an early advantage. Goa’s Sadaoui registered an attempt on goal from outside the box in the first minute before Connor Shields’ shot from the right side of the box went too high.

Chennaiyin’s goalkeeper Debjit Majumder made a fine save in the ninth minute when Sadaoui took a shot at goal from the right side of the post. Eleven minutes later, Farukh Chaudhary attempted to put the away team ahead with a shot from outside the box after receiving the ball from Rahim Ali. However, his effort was saved at the center of the goal.

Captain Ryan Edwards blocked a shot from the edge of the box in the 34th minute before Sadaoui scored a goal with his left foot from the right side of the post to put the Gaurs ahead in the contest.

Goa doubled its lead in the 45th minute with a perfect strike by midfielder Fernandes from outside the box to the top right corner. The away team pulled one back just before the halftime break when Cirkovic sent the ball into the back of the net after pouncing on a mistake of Goa’s goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh.

The second half began on a positive note for the away team as Cirkovic attempted a header in the 47th minute that went over the bar. Ten minutes later, forward Jordan Murray Jordan pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box but his attempt was cleared off the line by Goa’s defenders.

They made another goal-line clearance in the 75th minute when Edwards met Sangwan’s cross with a header inside the six-yard box.

With this hard-fought loss, Chennaiyin FC concluded their impressive campaign in the ongoing ISL season. The Marina Machans had a rollercoaster journey with head coach Owen Coyle back at the helm and orchestrating the team through remarkable performances. They started the season slowly but soon gathered pace and registered several thrilling victories including three come-from-behind wins towards the later end of the season, a first for any ISL side, to qualify for the knockout stages.