ISL 2017/18: Match 85, FC Goa vs ATK, Player Ratings
Mid-week action in the Hero Indian Super League continued as FC Goa took on defending champions ATK in a crucial encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
FC Goa was in a must-win situation as they competed for the final playoff spot with Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters FC. They began the game on the sixth spot in the standings with 24 points from 16 matches so far with a win tonight lifting them over the two competitors. ATK began in the ninth spot of the table with 13 points from their sixteen matches.
FC Goa took another step in the right direction as they triumphed 5-1 over a hapless ATK in Goa. They moved into the top four of the standings with the win with 27 points to their tally now. They will need a point from their final league game against Jamshedpur FC for a place in the playoffs.
FC Goa
Naveen Kumar (5.5/10) - The Goan keeper had a quiet first half in the game of the match as ATK did not have good chances on the goal. He was unfortunate to concede a goal when Keane's shot saw the ball deflect off a defender and hit the post beating Kumar.
Seriton Fernandes (6/10) - The young right-back Seriton played up and down the flank as he was active on the flank with his runs. In the second half, when ATK attacked with some intent, he did well in defence to curb the threat too.
Sergio Juste (6.5/10) - The Spaniard scored his first goal in the league when he nodded from a corner put in by Boumous to give the home side an early lead. He held his own in the defence as they did not allow Keane or Mbatha any space in the attack.
Chinglensana Singh (6/10) - The former Delhi Dynamos FC defender replaced Mohammed Ali in the lineup as Sergio Lobera rested the youngster. 'Sana' played well alongside Juste in the defence as they kept the threat of Robbie Keane in check.
Narayan Das (6/10) - The left-back for the home side made a lot of overlapping runs on the flank and combined well with Mandar Rao Desai ahead of him in the attack. He was good when defending as well.
Pronay Halder (5.5/10) - The hard-tackling midfielder was the defensive cover for FC Goa as he broke up plays whenever ATK tried to counter-attack.
Edu Bedia (5.5/10) - The skipper for the day, Edu Bedia played alongside Halder in the midfield and did well with ball distribution from the back in the absence of Ahmed Jahouh.
Manuel Lanzarote (8/10) - The Spaniard was in red-hot form as he scored two goals within the first 25 minutes for the home side with two calm finishes past Poirei in the ATK goal. He kept threatening the ATK goal with a lot of chances in the second half.
Hugo Boumous (6.5/10) - Boumous provided the assist for the first goal when Juste headed in his corner delivery into the box. He controlled the Goan attack with his passing in the midfield
Mandar Rao Dessai (6/10) - The local crowd favourite was a continued menace on the left flank for the Gaurs as he made a lot of incisive runs and put in great crosses for the attackers inside the box.
Ferran Corominas (7/10) - The top scorer in the league was the target man up front for FC Goa as he kept the ATK defenders on their toes with his movement. He scored his 16th goal in the campaign when he curled in a great free-kick after the hour mark to make it 4-0 for the Gaurs.
Substitutes:
Bruno Pinheiro (4/10) - The Portuguese defender came on to replace Sergio Juste for the final 20 minutes of the match as Lobera put in fresh reinforcements in the defence.
Mark Sifneos (5/10) - The Dutch frontman replaced Ferran Corominas in the attack as Lovera introduced fresh legs in the attack in the second half. He got his first goal for FC Goa when he scored in the final minute with a side-footed finish.
Liston Colaco (3/10) - The youngster came on to replace Mandar Rao Dessai for the final ten minutes of the match.