Wilmar Jordan’s brace helps NorthEast United snatch a point against Goa
Goa’s winless streak extended to four games in a row, as they were restricted to a thrilling 2-2 draw by NorthEast United in the 2022-23 Indian Super League fixture here at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. Edu Bedia and Iker Guarrotxena were on target for the Gaurs, while for the Highlanders, Wilmar Jordan scored a brace.
After a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat against Bengaluru, NorthEast United head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese made a couple of changes to his starting XI. New signing Kule Mbombo and winger Jithin MS were handed starts, with Rochharzela and Romain Philippoteaux dropping to the bench.
On the other hand, Goa head coach Carlos Pena surprised the majority of the team’s fan base with his decision. Though the Gaurs were handed a 1-3 defeat by Hyderabad in the last match, he did not make any changes to the team.
Goa dominated the initial passage of play, but the first chance was created by Annese’s men in the 11th minute. A long ball from a deep split opened the visitors’ defense as Jithin found himself one-on-one with the Gaurs’ goalkeeper, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem. However, the latter won the battle as he put in a spectacular save.
Pena’s men had their first opportunity four minutes later when Anwar Ali tried his luck from distance, and while his shot was on target, Mirshad Michu was never going to be beaten by it considering his red-hot form this season.
The central defender had yet another opportunity five minutes later when Brandon Fernandes’ cross found him unmarked, but even this chance went begging. In the 23rd minute, Noah Sadaoui’s cross found Guarrotxena inside the box, but his attempt was blocked for a corner.
Goa kept on launching incessant attacks and almost broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, when the Highlanders’ Australian centre-back, Aaron Evans lost possession in a crucial area. Fernandes had an attempt, but he missed the target by a whisker.
The visitors did not have to wait long for their first goal, as it arrived only two minutes later. Guarrotxena tried finding Fernandes with a pass, but it was behind the winger. However, the latter still somehow managed to lay off a pass for Bedia, whose shot found the back of the net.
NorthEast United had an excellent chance of restoring parity only three minutes later when Emil Benny launched a precise cross for Hira Mondal, but the new signing could not provide any direction to his header.
Just before half-time, Bedia had yet another attempt after receiving a pass from Aibanbha Dohling, but his effort was slightly wide this time around. It turned out to be a costly miss, as the Highlanders scored the equalizer in additional time.
Alex Saji attempted a volley from a corner launched by Benny, but his strike was handled inside the box by Fernandes. The referee rightfully awarded Annese’s team a penalty, and from twelve yards out, a player of Jordan’s calibre made no mistake.
As they did in the first half, Goa started the second half better but could not produce anything with all the possession that they had. The first chance came at the hour-mark when Bedia launched a cross for Guarrotxena, and while the Athletic Bilbao graduate did manage to get his head to it, the attempt was nowhere near the target.
However, the lead was restored only five minutes later. A perfect through ball found Sadaoui unmarked with only Mirshad to beat, and while he managed to round up the keeper, the Moroccan was then brought down inside the box. Guarrotxena took the penalty, and like Jordan, he never looked in doubt to miss.
Referee Crystal John worked overtime on the occasion, as he had to blow his whistle and award another penalty in the 69th minute. Philippoteaux’s blocked attempt fell for Pragyan Gogoi inside the box, who dribbled past Fares Arnaout before being brought down by the Syrian defender. Jordan took the responsibility on his shoulder once again, and the result was the same as the former CSKA Sofia played scored his and his team’s second goal.
Quite surprisingly, both teams took their feet off the pedal after the match and returned to a state of equilibrium before Goa went for one last bite during the additional time. Anwar Ali made a darting run all the way from defense into the opposition’s half in the 92nd minute, but could not find any player in orange with his cross.
The last chance for Pena’s team came in the 96th minute. Fernandes put in a delightful cross from the left flank, which Guarrotxena headed into the path of Brison Fernandes. The young midfielder managed to tuck the ball past Mirshad, but the goal was rightfully chalked off for being offside.
With this draw, NorthEast United remains in 11th position with 4 points from 14 matches. They will now take on Mumbai City on Thursday while Goa, who are sixth with 20 points in 14 games, will be up against Kerala Blasters on Sunday.