ISL: NorthEast United wins a point in gripping draw against FC Goa -Talking points

NorthEast United FC came from behind to hold FC Goa 1-1 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Tuesday night.

Mohammad Yasir had his fair share of luck when he handed the lead to the Gaurs but Jithin MS’ 76th minute strike saw the Highlanders split points.

This was the 11th draw between these two teams, the most number of stalemates between two teams in this competition’s history.

Here are the key talking points from the match:

FC Goa creates an early chance

The Highlanders started the game on the front foot as the likes of Guillermo Fernandez and Alaaeddine Ajaraie were making some marauding runs while keeping the FC Goa defenders on their toes.

However, the first real opportunity came to the Gaurs when Dejan Drazic found Armando Sadiku with a telling cross in the penalty area. But unfortunately, the Albanian’s header was not strong enough to trouble Gurmeet Singh in goal.

Ajaraie nearly scores

Ajaraie almost opened the scoring when Buanthanglun Samte found him with a great long pass. The Moroccan was through on goal but his subsequent effort was tipped over the bar by Hritik Tiwari. Samte was enjoying a lot of space on the right flank and he unleashed some great crosses for Guillermo and Jithin MS. However, the NorthEast United FC forwards weren’t clinical enough to take their chances.

FC Goa enjoys possession in 1st half

Despite absorbing the pressure from the hosts for the majority of the first half, FC Goa finished the half on a strong note. Although it did not break the deadlock, it created a few chances and controlled the tempo of the game in midfield, putting the pressure back on the Highlanders.

The spell almost resulted in a goal when Brison Fernandes displayed excellent skill to lose his marker in the penalty area before his effort rifled into the crossbar on its way out.

Yasir breaks deadlock for FC Goa

FC Goa, completely against the run of play, broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when Jay Gupta unleashed a long ball into the penalty area which was brought down by Mohammed Yasir and played towards Brison. The youngster played it back to Yasir, who hammered it into the bottom right corner, handing an important lead to the Gaurs.

Jithin scores equaliser for NorthEast United

After getting frustrated with a sustained spell of long balls, NorthEast United decided to hit FC Goa on the counter. Ajaraie held the ball brilliantly before unleashing Jithin M with a sensational through ball. The winger eventually slotted the ball past Hrithik in goal to bring the hosts back in the game in the 76th minute. Right after conceding the goal, Manolo Marquez unleashed Iker Guarrotxena and Ayush Chhetri replacing Sadiku and Brison to add more fresh legs in attack and midfield respectively.