ISL: Delhi Dynamos 1-4 FC Goa

A rampant FC Goa side were at their best as they got past hosts Delhi Dynamos 4-1 in an exciting encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. FC Goa went on to register the biggest away win helped by a brace from French defender Youness Bengelloun and a goal each from captain Robert Pires and striker Tolgay Ozbey.A Piero-less Delhi Dynamos too had their chances, but they failed to make most of it and as a result slumped to the bottom of the table. Here are the five most should-be discussed topics from the game today:

#1 Santos comes back; Del Piero drops to the bench; Pires plays his best game in FC Goa shirt

After having gone off inside the first half of the reverse leg of the game in Goa, Andre Santos made it back to the starting line-up after spending the previous two

games

on the sidelines. The Brazilian has been a spark for the FC Goa side and though he took time to get into the game, he was solid and provided the much needed incision and support to Robert Pires in the middle of the park. Santos has a role to play in the first two goals for FC Goa.

Buoyed by the return of Andre Santos alongside him and with Peter Carvalho sitting back, Robert Pires got a free role and made the most of it as he had his most splendid game in the ISL. Robert Pires was in the thick of things and kept FC Goa moving forward. The Frenchman also went on to score a goal courtesy of a penalty.

Delhi Dynamos on the other hand failed to make any use of their marquee player Alessandro Del Piero as the Italian agitatedly watched the action from the sidelines.

#2 Bengelloun scores a brace

While it was Gregory Arnolin who was on the scoresheet earlier with 2 goals in the opening to games, it was the turn of his fellow centre-back and French defender Youness Bengelloun to get on the scoresheet as he went level on goals with his partner at the heart of defence with a brance.

The first goal came in the 18th minute as an Andre Santos cross was only cleared till the edge of the box where Debrata Das was present to head it back into the danger area. The ball then met Peter Carvalho who tested Kristoff Van Hout, who failed to completely avert danger as Bengelloun picked up the pieces to send the ball back into the net. Bengelloun double FC Goa’s lead with a clean header this time as he raised ahead of Van Hout to meet an Ander Santos free-kick, doubling the away side’s advantage and help them setup a thumping win.

Bengelloun went on to win the Hero of the match award not only for his brace, but also a neat display at the heart of defence.

#3 Tolgay back in form

TolgayOzbey had got into the thick of things for FC Goa when he netted the winner against Delhi in the reverse fixture in Goa with a last gasp strike. Since then, the Australian has failed to have a solid impact on the game and appeared rather wasteful at times.

After a disappointing couple of games, Tolgay hit back form as he won a penalty and teased the Delhi defence to score FC Goa’s fourth goal of the game. The former East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting striker looked sharp and his movement was hard to pick as well as he beat the Delhi defenders and a 6’ 10” goalie to a 50-50 ball and cut across Van Hout to win the penalty, which was neatly converted by Robert Pires to open his account.

Tolgay then went into the Delhi box and teased the experienced duo of Anwar Ali and Wim Raymaekers to get a shot on goal as he thumped the ball pas Van Hout and into the net to put the vistors 4-0 up and setup the biggest away win of the ISL.

#4 Best defence till today mauled

Delhi Dynamos had been disappointing in the final third in the last few games, but their defence had held well. The experienced duo of Anwar and Wim, in front of the tall, lanky Belgian helped Delhi concede the fewest amount of goals. This adds more stars to the FC Goa performance as they absolutely toyed with the home team’s defence.

While Shouvik Chakraborty failed to close down Debrata to allow him sending in a cross, Steven Dias allowed Peter Carvalho a free run into the box as he met the ball with a strong header that eventually led to the goal. The second goal saw Delhi defenders out of position and failing to mark the threats in the box, which facilitated Youness to an easy header and his second on the night.

#5 Delhi Dynamos need to wake up as they drop to the bottom

The team from the capital began decently with an away draw to Atletico de Kolkata. If that was nothing to go by, their 4-1 win against Chennaiyin FC put them into strong contention for the top 4 spot. And it was not just the scoreline, but their ruthless display on the day that made them look like serious contenders.

But ever since, while other teams have picked up, especially the likes of Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City, getting a neat streak of wins under their belt, Delhi Dynamos have been rather inconsistent and have seemed like not hitting the top gear ever apart from a few moments of brilliance. The team selection too has been a cause of concern as the coach has tinkered tad too much with the line-up bringing about changes in every game.

The improper use and the poor form of Del Piero too has added insult to injury. Delhi Dynamos performance has been rather lukewarm and they have failed to click as a unit and look lively or create enough. And even if they do, the paucity of number of bodies in the box has led to the downfall. So all in all, a tactical beating for the Delhi Dynamos against the other ISL teams.