Brison Fernandes bagged his second successive brace as visitors FC Goa notched a 4-2 victory over Odisha FC in their Indian Super League match in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
The Gaurs are third in the table with 25 points now, having extended their unbeaten streak in away matches to seven games with Manolo Marquez winning his maiden ISL game on the road against a side coached by Sergio Lobera.
Brison (8th minute 53rd), who scored twice in a match for the second straight time, kicked off the game strongly for the visitors. He he combined with Iker Guarrotxena inside the box to pounce upon the Odisha FC backline, who had given them ample space to attempt a shot right through the centre.
Iker got the ball inside the box but lost possession to Mourtada Fall. The Odisha FC defender took a heavy touch, resulting in the ball landing in Brison's path. The FC Goa player controlled the ball with his chest, before getting it down and drilling it into the bottom right corner to open the scoring in the eighth minute.
The Juggernauts struck back with Jerry Lalrinzuala drawing a foul inside the penalty box. This was Jerry's 150 appearance in the ISL, making him only the 10th player to do so in the league.
His effort yielded immediate returns for the Juggernauts. Ahmed Jahouh stepped up on the spot, pulling off a panenka style penalty, hitting the centre of the goal, completely catching goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari off-guard to level scores in the 29th
FC Goa regained their lead in the added time of the first half. It came as a result of a piercing move by the Gaurs, with Iker again playing an indirect role in the goal. He cut into the inside channel of the left flank, pulling the entire attention of the Odisha FC defensive unit.
His shot was not cleared properly, with the ball landing in Udanta Singh's feet on the right flank, who smashed it into the bottom right corner with absolute ease.
The Gaurs added to their tally with a solo effort in the 53rd minute. It was a move that didn't require significant build-up. Brison simply received the ball from defender Sandesh Jhingan as the team looked to break forward.
Brison turned around and showed quick footwork before shooting the ball into the top right corner from the outside of the box, bagging his brace.
FC Goa capitalised on this momentum, with their frontline momentarily assuming a free-flowing role to exploit further openings in the Odisha FC defence.
Jamshedpur FC edge Bengaluru FC
Jamshedpur FC came from behind to pip Bengaluru FC 2-1 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex for their fourth successive win at home.
Bengaluru FC were ahead in the game courtesy of a goal from Alberto Noguera but a second-half blitz from Jamshedpur FC saw Jordan Murray and Muhammad Uvais seal an important win in the ongoing season.
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