AFC Champions League 2021: FC Goa Vs Al Wahda Live Commentary

Published at :April 30, 2021 at 3:05 AM

Modified at :June 2, 2021 at 7:37 PM

The Gaurs are searching for their first win of the campaign, while Al Wahda are keen to take home the three points themselves.

FULLTIME: Al Wahda dominated this game right from the start to the end and fairly winning it 2-0. But had it not been for Dheeraj the hosts would have conceded a few more. The young custodian denied the visitors multiple times and kept Goa in the game at the break. While there were a few moves here and there for Goa they clearly lacked that composure in the middle which Edu Bedia provides. Al Wahda looked solid at the back and while they were wasteful in the first half they compensated it with two goals in the second half.

90+3 That's that for the Emirati team as they win it with a convincing 2-0 scoreline and will most likely progress through to the ACL round of 16 as one of the best runners up.

90+1 Three minutes added to the game as Al Wahda makes a horde of changes.

90'GOAAAALLL for Al Wahda!! Almenhali doubles the lead for the visitors as FC Goa defenders failed to clear it in the first place.

87' Could have been a great chance for Al Wahda had Khribin received the ball properly, he was in space between the two Goa defenders. However, the ball touched his arm which ruined the attack. Lucky for the hosts.

85' Good move from the visitors as Buam skips past the defender and delivers a cross which was well defended by Jumaa but then he gets the rebounds and starts another attack from the left. Eventually, Gama's shot from the left was well managed by Shamsi.

82' Despite not getting much service Pandita has chased after every ball and kept Pimenta very busy throughout the game.

80' The overall intensity of the game has died off as Al Wahda are simply passing it around and hoping to keep their lead intact. Whereas FC Goa also have not shown any attacking flair in the second half.

75' Play stopped for the mandatory drinks break.

73' Substitution for Goa as Phrangki Buam replaces Romario Jesuraj. ACL debut for Buam.

72' CHANCE for Al Wahda as Myung-Joo releases Khribin clear on goal but Naveen intervenes the cross but spilt it. However, he saved the subsequent shot from the rebound. That could have been the second goal for the visitors but Goa gets out of danger.

71' It has been a very scrappy game after Al Wahda went a goal up. The hosts have also not shown any sense of urgency to restore parity.

69' Substitution for Goa Naveen replaces Dheeraj and Chothe comes on for Sanson. Chothe coming on means Gama will shift to left-back.

67' Looks like Dheeraj cannot continue anymore and Naveen is getting ready on the sidelines. A sad end to the campaign for the young custodian who has been one of the best in this ACL.

61' GOAAAAALLL for Al Wahda as Matavz steals the ball from Glan and then squares it up to Khribin with a stunning low cross. The Syrian makes no mistake as he blasts it beyond Dheeraj's reach to hand his team the lead.

59' Al Wahda with their quick passing are opening up the pockets of space in behind the Goa fullbacks. Till now the centre backs and Dheeraj have bailed them out but they need to close up the gaps.

56' Tensions rise for FC Goa as Dheeraj Singh collided with Sanson as he rushed out to collect a ball. The young custodian is down on the field and is receiving treatment. The good news is that he is back on his feet and will continue. Sigh of relief!!

55' Substitution for Goa as Saviour Gama replaced Redeem Tlang.

53' DHEERAJ AGAIN!!! What a tournament he has had for Goa? Simply sensational save from Dheeraj to deny Omar Khribin.

52' Al Wahda again creating chances this time from the left but Goa defenders were aware as they closed down quickly not allowing them to take the shot.

49' HUGE CHANCE for Al Wahda as Ibrahim skips past multiple defenders and then goes for goal himself as Dheeraj comes up with another save. Ibrahim was selfish there, he had multiple players who were free in the penalty area.

46' We are back again for the second half!! The visitors started right from where they left as they still look for the opening to break the deadlock.

HALF TIME: FC Goa were mostly on the back foot as they tried to absorb pressure and then had a few positive moves on the counter. Al Wahda on the other hand had some great chances, Matavz missed two of the best chances of the half while Khribin also came close to scoring. Players like Ibrahim and Myung-Joo have also threatened the FC Goa defence as Dheeraj and company hold on to the clean sheet at the break.

45+3 HUGE CHANCE!! Al Wahda's corner was delivered straight into the danger zone as Dheeraj keeps out the initial header. But Jumaa lined up with a great shot from the rebound which was blocked by Seriton as he threw his body on the line. Great defending from the boys as the halftime whistle blows.

45+2' Three minutes added on and it looks like the hosts will hold on to the clean sheet for now which has to be their first target of the match.

45' Adil tried to be too clever in a dangerous area with Ibrahim keeping up with him as the latter almost had the ball. That could have been a very silly mistake from the experienced defender.

43' Promising move from GOa as Redeem and Sanson combined well but the latter's darting run was checked by Al Wahda defenders as the chance petered out.

40' End to end action!! Goa tried to create something in attack but then Al Wahda came up with a quick counter but finally came to nothing for both sides.

38' UGH!! Slight opportunity for Goa as Shamsi spilt the ball from Brandon's freekick as Glan comes up with a shot from the rebound. But Shamsi redeems himself with a save on the follow-up.

37' Freekick in a great position for Goa as Abdalla becomes the first player to get booked.

36' A nice move from Goa as they try and create something but the press from Al Wahda did not allow them to create any danger.

34' FC Goa are struggling to play the ball out of their own half. The way Al Wahda are creating chances they will score sooner than later.

30' HUGE CHANCE!!! Probably the biggest chance of the game till now as Myung-Joo releases Matavz through on goal but the Slovenian blasts it away. Should have done better as he only had Dheeraj to beat.

28' DHEERAJ TO THE RESCUE!! Ibrahim comes up with an early cross and Khribin heads it towards the corner of the goal but Dheeraj was there to deny him once again.

26' HUGE CHANCE!! Matavz shields the ball in the final third and then lays it to the onrushing Omar Khrbin who was almost clear on goal with only Dheeraj to beat. However, the Syrian failed to hit the target.

24' Al Wahda's quick passing opens up the FC Goa defence completely as Myung-Joo releases Ibrahim on the right but Amarjit thwarts away the danger. Goa are flirting with danger

22' Freekick for the visitors in a dangerous area. But comes to nothing for as Khamis' shot was not on target

20' Ibrahim has looked very dangerous on the right flank and both Glan Martins and Sanson Pereira have struggled to keep up with him. FC Goa needs to be very careful as Ibrahim is in fine form and they cannot afford him any space.

18' GREAT SAVE by Dheeraj!! Another attack from the right as Ibrahim combines with Matavz as he skips past the defenders and takes the shot but Dheeraj was there to thwart the danger away.

15' Looks like the early nerves have settled and now the Gaurs have started stringing some passes in the midfield as Al Wahda keep up with their press. Amarjit down and is getting treated.

11' Freekick for the Gaurs, Brandon takes it and aims towards Adil Khan but Omar Khribin heads it out for a corner. Nothing materializes from the subsequent corner.

10' FC Goa are absorbing all the pressure and somehow keeping the Al Wahda forwards at bay. The hosts have not shown any positive move yet.

7' CHANCE for Al Wahda!!! Ibrahim was released with a brilliant dink pass as he squared it up for Matavz but the Slovenian could not stand his ground in the penalty box.

5' Brilliant move from Al Wahda again as Khalil Ibrahim combined with Myung-Joo on the attack but the ball had already gone out.

3' The visitors start with a lot of positivity as Myung-Joo is looking to skip past defenders on the right and create something for Al Wahda.

1' We are underway at the Fatorda Stadium as the hosts start the procedings!

10:28 PM Kickoff in a few minutes as the players walk out on the pitch.

10:25 PM FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando shared a heartfelt message before leaving for Spain!

https://twitter.com/FCGoaOfficial/status/1387762689083002880

10:05 PM In other news from Group E, Persepolis have won their last fixture against Al Rayyan and have now qualified for the next stage of the competition.

https://twitter.com/TheAFCCL/status/1387804936059162634

9:57 PM FC Goa Substitutes: Leander D'Cunha, Mohammad Nawaz, Phrangki Buam, Romeo Fernandes, Makan Chothe, Saviour Gama, Devendra Murgaokar, Shubham Dhas, Naveen Kumar.

9:55 PM Al Wahda Starting XI: Al Shamsi, Al Menhali, Pimenta, Khalil, Matavz, Khamis, Myung-Joo, Ahmed Rashid, Fares Juma, Abdulla Hamad, Omar Khribin.

9:45 PM The Gaurs are without their foreign stars and also head coach Juan Ferrando as they had rush to Spain with the borders closing due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in India. Here's the starting lineup for FC Goa:-

https://twitter.com/KhelNow/status/1387801354991652864?fbclid=IwAR0wxUGyJtdssHPSbEzbnDPTAqSw0ztPoKkqd6b6mtrEIo0d6cNl-azrl2U

9:30 PM Welcome to the live coverage of the AFC Champions League match between FC Goa and Al Wahda FC from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa!

This is Matchday 6 of the group stage of ACL 2021, and both FC Goa and Al Wahda are preparing for their last group stage game of the competition! While the Gaurs are already eliminated, the team from UAE still have chances of making it into the Round-of-16.

A win against the hosts will increase Al Wahda's hopes of qualifying into the knockout stages. At the same time, Goa will be playing for pride and the fact that they have nothing to lose should help them play fearlessly.

The last time both sides met on April 17, they played out a 0-0 stalemate at the same venue. It was Matchday 2 back then, and a lot has changed since then. Can FC Goa end their campaign with a historic win, or will Al Wahda prevail over them like they did against Persepolis two days ago? Well, there's only one way to know!

On Wednesday, the Gaurs' head coach Juan Ferrando admitted that facing the UAE-outfit will be difficult. Read more.

When you take a detailed look into the Gaurs’ squad, you will also understand that the 40-year-old has acknowledged the importance of defensive stability while playing the continental competition. Read our detailed analysis of the FC Goa squad here.

Kick-off is less than an hour away now! As we wait for the final details including the line-ups of both teams, take a look at our Matchday Preview of the game here.

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