Margao, April 10 Goals in the second half from Dejan Dražić, Pol Moreno, and Brison Fernandes helped FC Goa secure a 3-1 victory over Odisha FC, who scored a late consolation goal through Suhair VP, in their Indian Super League match here on Friday.
While Dražić (62') opened the scoring, Moreno (81') scored the second, and Fernandes (90'+3 P) completed it with his injury-time strike. Suhair VP (90'+4) scored a consolation goal for Odisha.
The first half was a closely contested match, with both sides enjoying periods of possession but struggling to create clear-cut chances. Rahul KP was the most lively player for The Juggernauts, testing the Goa defence with two early attempts, while the hosts found themselves caught offside on several occasions as they attempted to build attacks.
Odisha continued to threaten from distance, with Rahul forcing a save from debut goalkeeper Bob Jackson, who showed composure in goal. At the other end, Udanta Singh came close after a sharp run into the box, but Amrinder Singh stood firm to deny the winger at the near post.
Set-pieces proved to be a potential avenue for both sides, with Pol Moreno heading straight at the goalkeeper and Subham Bhattacharya narrowly missing, but neither side was able to break the deadlock as the first half ended 0-0.
The tempo increased after the restart, with Odisha coming close to taking the lead around the hour mark. Rahim Ali's intelligent run created space for Isak Vanlalruatfela, but the forward's effort was well saved by Bob Jackson, who produced a crucial intervention to keep the scores level.
FC Goa responded almost immediately and broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute with a well-worked move. Ayush Chhetri delivered a precise ball over the top of the Odisha defence to find Dejan Dražić inside the box.
A sliding challenge from Carlos Delgado deflected the ball back into Dražić's path, and the forward showed quick reactions to calmly slot the ball past Amrinder and give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
With momentum on their side, Goa continued to push forward. Substitute Abdul Rabeeh injected energy into the attack, setting up Aakash Sangwan soon after, although his effort was saved. Rabeeh also tried his luck from distance but failed to hit the target.
The hosts doubled their advantage through a set-piece. Pol Moreno stepped up to take a free-kick from distance and struck a low effort through the wall, the ball taking a couple of bounces before nestling into the bottom-left corner.
Goa sealed the result in stoppage time after Rabeeh was fouled inside the penalty area. Brison Fernandes stepped up and confidently converted the penalty, placing his shot into the left corner to extend the lead to 3-0.