FC Goa moved up to the number two on the Indian Super League point table after their emphatic 3-1 win over NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Thursday.
The home side still remained at the rock bottom and without any point so far.
Ghana forward Francis Dadzie scored the opener for NorthEast United FC in the 12th minute, but FC Goa hit back with two back-to-back goals through Jonatan Lucca (28th minute) and Reinaldo (30th minute).
Indian winger Mandar Rao Desai put the icing on the cake in the 70th minute with the fourth goal of the match.
Both sides started the first half with a decent pace, but it was the home side that had the possession of ball most of the time. The first shot of the night however came from the visitors as lanky striker Reinaldo pulled the trigger in the 10th minute of play, only to be denied by Gennaro Bracigliano on goal.
As expected prior to the match, Indian winger Sanju Pradhan remained brilliant for the home side in the first half as his jaw-dropping pace and dribbling stole the limelight. The former Atletico de Kolkata man had a big hand in the first goal of the game as he beat Goa defender Debabrata Roy with ease to get inside the box and launch the cross.
And the result of it saw an unmarked Dadzie rise the highest and head the ball home, making Laxmikant Kattimani a mere spectator.
The visitors however kept trying for the equaliser, with Reinaldo pulling the trigger on many occasions. CS Sabeeth also displayed his pace to penetrate and join the attack on occasions, but he couldn't make much use of those.
Then came the two consecutive goals from the away side, and everything changed. A brilliant interplay among Jonatan Lucca, Sabeeth and Joffre saw Lucca get on the scoresheet to register the equaliser for Goa.
Sabeeth played the ball from the left to Joffre and the Brazilian laid it back to his compatriot Lucca, and the 21-year-old had no problem in placing the ball into the far corner with no chance for Bracigliano.
The momentum was seized by Goa, and they kept coming. The ever-lively Joffre got into the box from the left and his shot on goal was only obstructed by Cédric Hengbart. However, the loose ball fell in the path of Reinaldo, and this time, the Brazilian striker made no mistake as he shrugged off Ralte's challenge to slot home and make the score 2-1.
The closing stages of the half also saw Joffre being challenged by Bracigliano inside the box, and although it looked like a sure penalty for some, the referee felt otherwise.
The score was 2-1 in favour of FC Goa at the half-time.
The second half started with some momentum, and it remained an end-to-end action till the very end. Argentine striker Nico Velez will surely be having nightmares for the amount of chances he missed for NorthEast United FC. That was just ridiculous.
The home side goalkeeper, Bracigliano, however showed glimpses of his class once again as the French custodian made stunning saves to deny Reinaldo his second of the night, and several other shots on the goal from Goa. The goalkeeper however failed to stop Mandar Rao Desai's goal.
Leo Moura launched an absolute lethal through ball to release Mandar from the left and the Indian winger only happily used his pace to convert it home for the third of the night for Goa.
The last 10 minutes of the game was played with blistering pace and the defence and the attack of both teams took away plaudits for their energetic display. It was yet another loss for NorthEast United FC though. Not really what they wanted to.
Catch all the goals from the game HERE.
