ISL 2019, FC Goa v Jamshedpur FC: 5 Talking Points

FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC played out a nondescript stalemate at the Fatorda Stadium. More so, it was the latter holding on to a solitary point until the end, on the back of some splendid defending and astute analysis of the Goa midfield.

The Gaurs had more of the ball and as the game progressed, they pressed for the match-winner. But the visitors were on top of the game and consequentially, they held Coro and co. to an unlikely draw at their own backyard.

Goa were stifled, choked and mostly kept at bay, and when they finally did thread through an array of quick passes, Subrata Pal rose to the occasion to keep his clean sheet intact.

With their eighth draw of the campaign, the Men of Steel recorded their 20th point, while FC Goa are at the fourth place in the ISL table with 21 points. (with a game in hand)

On that note, let's take a look at the major talking points from FC Goa's draw against Jamshedpur FC.

#1 FC Goa start positive, Jamshedpur push bodies back in numbers

Coro and Jacki always looked for one another in the final third

Right from the outset, FC Goa fit into their attacking shape, offered width and exploited the opposition defence. They saw more of the ball early on and as envisioned, Jamshedpur got bodies behind the ball.

In the 7th minute, a brilliant cross from the hosts fell into a dangerous area, but there was no one to attack it. Ten minutes later, Jackichand found himself in an advanced position, but was tackled by Dhanachandra Singh. That was basically the story of the first half.

Brandon Fernandes had a couple of efforts on goal, but neither tested a rather formidable Jamshedpur back line. The away side dealt with almost all the crosses and had every blade of grass covered, especially in their defensive phase.

#2 Tiri has Coro in wraps as the first half ends goalless

For the entirety of the first half, Coro was relatively quiet as he entered the game looking for his 29th goal in the competition, which would make him ISL's all-time leading goalscorer. He is presently tied at the top with Ian Hume.

Goa's talisman, however, barely had any space to work with. Neither did his side cross enough, nor did they work hard to stay close to one another. Their tempo and approach was on the slower side and that was the primary reason for the first half to end as a lackluster one.

Jamshedpur, too, had a couple of attempts on goal, mainly from a Cidoncha free kick -- which only met the side netting. Defensively, Goa didn't have too much to do, but they stuck up to the task nonetheless.

#3 FC Goa shift gears with a little bit more urgency after the break

Hugo Boumous grew into the game after the first half

Sergio Lobera's half time talk was sure to inject optimism and pace into the way FC Goa would go about their business in the second period.

They worked the passes a little quicker and got the likes of Jackichand Singh and Brandon into the game. Goa's expansive brand of football knocked the steel-like defence of Jamshedpur, as Edu Bedia and central defender Pena had a shy on goal. The latter should have at least placed his header on target.

In the 66th minute, Goa broke forward with speed and looked like they would draw first blood, but Memo did well to intercept a potential goal-scoring chance. After the 70th minute mark, Lobera threw the final dice with three quick substitutions.

Coro, who was having a dull day at the office, found himself free on the edge of the box, and beat two defenders with aplomb to test Pal. A handful of other shots troubled Jamshedpur, but the Jharkhand-based side held on.

#4 Subrata Pal comes to Jamshedpur's rescue

The Jamshedpur shot-stopper was on fire in the dying stages of the game

The Jamshedpur defence did all it could to restrict Goa from scoring, but in the end, the onus fell on the sturdy shoulders of Subrata Pal. The former India international stuck to his task when called upon and put in a heroic shift as the last line of defence.

He wasn't overly tested with venomous efforts until the final spells of desperate attacking from the Gaurs. Although he made two routine stops, the veteran turned it on in the 84th minute, when he made a staggering double save.

When Coro cleaned up two defenders to take his strike, Subrata got down to his left at full stretch to deny the shot for a corner. Another save was produced at that moment as well.

In the 90th minute, a well-tuned cross was directed towards Brandon Fernandes, who was stationed in the right wing. The forward took it upon himself, but Pal was there to deny an orange shirt yet again. Goa tried to carve out an opening, but hardly anything knocked Subrata Pal off his perch.

#5 Is sitting back the key from now on in the ISL?

Ferrando drilled his side extremely well

Now that Jamshedpur completed the impossible by ensuring a shut out at the Fatorda, credit must go to Cesar Ferrando, who set his side up brilliantly and pulled off a tactical masterclass.

The visitors kept their concentration levels at maximum, packed key areas of the pitch and kept the big boys of Goa out of action for most part of the game. Yes, they did crack open in the end a few times and Subrata Pal made sure his side went away with a point at least, but on an overall note, Jamshedpur were clearly the better side as they executed their game plan.

But the question is -- Is this the agenda heading into the business end of the tournament? On 27 January, in the tussle between the top two sides of the league in Bengaluru and Mumbai saw Jorge Costa's side go on top of the ladder with a massive 1-0 victory, where they had defended for most part of the game.

Despite all the possession BFC had, it was the counter-attacking guile and defensive organization that aided Mumbai's case. Today as well, Jamshedpur kept their top 4 hopes alive by salvaging a crucial point at Goa, which is more than a positive result.

Maybe the key from now on is to churn results out and collect points, not possession.

ALSO SEE: ISL Schedule | ISL Results | ISL Points table

Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee