An early strike by Muhammed Nemil made all the difference as defending champions FC Goa registered their first win of Durand Cup 2022, defeating the Indian Air Force 1-0 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Friday.
Nemil's goal - his second in as many games this Durand Cup - saw his tally in Durand Cup history rise to six from eight games overall.
FC Goa head coach Deggie Cardozo made three changes to his team's starting XI against Mohammedan SC as Mallikjan Kalegar, Ayush Chhetri and Mevan Dias replaced Rayan Roger Menezes, Shanon Viegas and Jovial Dias respectively.
FC Goa looked to be on tempo to start the game and capitalised on their spell dominance. Nemil made the most when the ball got to him at the edge of the box, dispatching their first chance of the match in the 8th minute with much oomph.
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The lead resulted in the Gaurs gradually establishing control over the tempo of the game. In the 17th minute, Air Force's Vivek Kumar almost scored against the run of play, when he attempted a long-ranger from over 40 yards out that narrowly missed the target.
Goa kept on creating chances in the first half but the young Gaurs lacked composure in the final third to stretch their lead further.
The game became a scrappy, end to end affair in the second forty-five with a torrential downpour and sombre ground conditions not helping the cause.
FC Goa got their best chance of the half in the 64th minute, when Delton received a ball from Nemil and attempted a shot from the right side. This time, however, Shibinraj in the Air Force goal was quick to react as he carried the ball away for a corner-kick.
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Still a goal down, the Indian Air Force eked their way back into the contesst and they threw the kitchen sink in the late stages of the game. They did indeed create a couple of fine chances to draw level, but the Gaurs' shot-stopper Hrithik Tiwari was equal to the task whenever called into action.
The Assam-native made brilliant saves, once each in the 75th minute and in stoppage time to deny their opponents the equaliser.
The win helped FC Goa open their account in the Durand Cup with three points from two games. Next up for them is a clash against Jamshedpur FC, on August 26 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
