Indian Football: An aggressive friendly match between FC Goa and Gokulam Kerala FC ends before the final whistle

The friendly match between Indian Super League side FC Goa and I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC on the 22nd of October, ended when a fight broke out between the two teams, a result of a rough tackle from Gokulam Kerala FC's Beneston Barretto on FC Goa's Saviour Gama. This resulted in the match being called off before the final whistle.

Throughout the match, there had been glimpses of rough tackling from the Malabarians which could have been avoided in a game with hardly any competition.

FC Goa had fielded mostly their first team which consisted of three foreigners. Alberto Noguera and Dylan Fox started the game and Ivan Gonzalez came on later as a substitute. Edu Bedia wasn't used, latest arrival Airam Cabrera wasn't matched fit and Jorge Ortiz is recovering from an injury.

The friendly match witnessed two footballers of Gokulam Kerala FC, namely, Sharif Mukhammad, the captain of the side, and Beneston Barreto, being sent off and Muhammed Nemil Valiyattil of FC Goa leaving the field on a stretcher. Unfortunately, Nemil has received an ankle injury which might be of concern to the Goan outfit as pictures of him leaving the stadium on crutches were witnessed on social media. FC Goa will be entering the bio bubble, hence Nemil's scan will be done once the quarantine ends.

The match between the two sides ended 0-0.

During the match, there were a few more instances that could have been avoided in a friendly. In the first half, Glan Martins (FC Goa) received a rough tackle from a Gokulam Kerala FC footballer which could have led to a potential injury till the end of the season for the midfielder. There was a double-footed tackle on Saviour Gama, which was probably the reason why the fight broke out and things got heated up before the match was ended. Apart from this, 21-year-old Makan Winkle Chothe of FC Goa was tackled with a knee to his face.

Muhammed Nemil Valiyattil's performance in the Durand Cup was extremely promising and perhaps Juan Ferrando was thinking of giving him a chance in the starting eleven in the Indian Super League. But after what happened yesterday, it may so happen that Juan Ferrando will have to change his plans unless the scan reports of Nemil are positive.

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