New Delhi: FC Pune City to leap into the fourth place following a 2-0 win over FC Goa in their Indian Super League Season Four match in Margao on Saturday. By dishing out yet another impressive counter-attacking performance, they snapped the home side’s streak of three consecutive wins.
It looked like the teams would cancel each other out until the 72nd minute when Pune’s Marcelinho threaded a pass forward for Emiliano Alfaro, who clinically buried it past Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani. Alfaro had a chance to double the lead two minutes later but his shot didn’t have enough pace and was cleared away.
However, Pune finally got their second goal in the 84th minute when Jonatan Lucca converted after Mandar Rao Dessai’s clearance deflected into his path. Despite having an upper hand in the first half, Pune had to work hard with Goa coming at them in full force in the second period. This was exemplified with Vishal Kaith’s triple save in the 70th minute, when he saved shots from Ferran Corominas, Brandon Fernandes and Manuel Arana as chaos ensued in the Pune box. Pune soaked in pressure in the first 10 minutes after Mandar and Brandon both got into dangerous areas only to see their shots blocked. It was interesting for Goa to try the long-ball tactic early on, but Pune’s defenders held tight and defended with ease.
Keane strikes as ATK beat Delhi
In Kolkata, Robbie Keane struck late in the second half to help two-time champions ATK pip Delhi Dynamos 1-0. The former Ireland and Spurs player injected life into the game with a spectacular finish in the 78th minute to score his first goal of the season. This was ATK’s second win from six matches as they climbed to seventh position in the league table with eight points. After being routed by Pune 1-4 in their first home appearance of 2017, this was ATK’s first home win of the season.
