FC Goa's Second-Half Revival Delivers a Commanding 3-1 Victory Over Odisha
A flat and goalless opening period gave way to a decisive second-half performance as FC Goa claimed a 3-1 win over Odisha FC at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao, on Friday. Three goals in the final thirty minutes — from Dejan Drazic, Pol Moreno, and Brison Fernandes — secured only Goa's third win from eight outings this ISL season, while also marking a confident competitive debut for goalkeeper Bob Jackson Raj.
A Quiet First Half That Said Much About Both Sides
The atmosphere inside the Nehru Stadium was, by the ground's own announcer's admission, lacking energy at the interval. Approximately 2,000 fans were present, and the two official fan clubs — whose banners and vocal presence are fixtures at home fixtures — were conspicuously subdued. It was a fair reflection of what was happening on the pitch.
Odisha, a side light on foreign personnel but carrying substantial ISL experience in its domestic core, pressed forward early. KP Rahul found space but failed to test the keeper, and Isak Ralte's effort from range was forceful but wayward. Goa, for their part, offered almost nothing in terms of genuine forward threat before the break. Head coach Manolo Marquez had kept his word to reporters on the eve of the fixture and freshened up his starting eleven — Bob Jackson Raj in goal, midfielder Harsh Patre, and winger Mohammad Yasir all making first appearances of the season — but the new faces had little opportunity to impose themselves in a cautious and disjointed first forty-five minutes.
The Interval Reset and What Changed
Whatever was communicated in the dressing room at half-time had a visible effect. Goa came out with greater urgency and directness in the second period. Dejan Drazic and Boris linked up to create an opening for Brison inside the area, which Thoiba Singh managed to prevent. At the other end, Isak came close again, and it was Bob Jackson Raj — in only his first ISL appearance — who kept the home side level with a close-range reflex stop, followed by a second save with an outstretched leg moments later.
The breakthrough arrived in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Ayush Chhetri, described by Marquez as among the most important figures in his setup, showed sharp awareness to lift the ball over the defensive line for Drazic. The forward shrugged off a challenge from Carlos Delgado and finished cleanly past Amrinder Singh. The second came from a Moreno freekick in the 81st minute, driven with precision through a five-man wall and beyond a goalkeeper who had little chance of reaching it. In the fourth minute of added time, Abdul Rabeeh was brought down inside the area by Delgado, and Brison converted the resulting penalty — his first goal of the campaign.
A Debut to Remember, a Final Moment to Forget
Bob Jackson Raj's introduction in goal had been notable for its composure under pressure. His two second-half interventions, both coming at moments when an Odisha goal would have complicated the contest, suggested a keeper prepared for the demands of the position at this level. Yet the final action of the evening denied him a clean sheet. VP Suhair received a cross from the right, found himself with space that should not have been available, and drove his effort past the debutant goalkeeper in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
It was a minor blemish on an otherwise encouraging evening for Goa. The winning margin was ultimately three goals, and the manner in which the side responded after a difficult opening period offered something more instructive than the final number alone: a capacity to shift tempo and find solutions under modest but genuine pressure. For a side that had failed to score three goals in any single outing before this occasion, it represented a measurable step forward — even if the first forty-five minutes served as a reminder of how much work remains.
