Kerala win it late as Goa see red

Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

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CK Vineeth came off the bench to score a winner in the 99th minute, breaking FC Goa's hearts in an ill-tempered, and often, ugly, contest at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

Goa took an early lead through Rafael Coelho's header, but ended the game with just eight men, as Gregory Arnolin and Richarlyson were both sent off in the second half, and Romeo Fernandes had to be stretchered off with an injury.

While Goa saw the red mist and lost their heads, Kerala Blasters kept theirs, eventually grinding through for a dramatic 2-1 victory which lifted them to fourth in the table.

Goa remained rooted at the bottom of the table, their hopes of making the playoffs fading further away, but in the immediate road, they could well be hit with a sanction for their conduct throughout the game.

Goa picked up six cards in total, and after the final whistle, a number of players crowded the referee to let their displeasure be known. When Richarlyson was given his marching orders, he nearly threw the ball at the referee in disgust, only to hold back at the last second. Even the head coach Zico was unhappy with the decisions against his team, gesturing angrily towards the TV cameras at the end.

Kerala came into the game with the meanest defence in the league; Goa came with the leakiest.

Scoring goals and creating chances were Kerala's main problems, but on Tuesday, they appeared to have finally found the right system.

Set up in a conventional 4-1-4-1, the hosts hogged the possession, won the midfield battle, and forged opportunities at will.

At the left, Kervens Belfort was a livewire, causing Goa constant problems with his pace and dribbling. At the right, Mohammed Rafique had the freedom of Kochi to deliver cross after inviting cross into the box.

Up front, Michael Chopra and Mohammed Rafi struck up a good understanding, always playing each other through with incisive, first-time passes.

All Kerala needed to stamp their authority in the first half was a goal, but their finishing deserted them. And just to make their task more difficult, Kerala's back four momentarily lost focus early in the game, allowing Goa to score.

Kerala conceded a needless free-kick near the half-way line in the ninth minute, and Arnolin aimed an outswinging floater towards the far post. The left-back Josu failed to pick up Coelho, who had a free header at goal. Coelho's effort was not particularly powerful, but the ball slipped through keeper Graham Stack's hands and trickled over the line.

Kerala immediately charged forward, and Belfort wasted his best chance in the 17th minute when the ball was neatly worked out to the right, allowing Rafique to bend a dangerous cross in. Belfort rose high and in between the two Goa centre-backs, but headed just wide of goal.

Seven minutes later, Kerala came close again, with Belfort, Chopra and Rafique exchanging quick passes, before Rafique forced a good save from Laxmikant Kattimani off a tight angle.

Even the set-pieces did not go Kerala's way; Josu's corner in the 26th minute flew through the face of goal when it only needed a touch to be converted.

Goa were operating in an unorthodox 3-2-3-2, but with Sanjay Balmuchu and Richarlyson mostly playing deep, they had built a five-man defence. They did not even look remotely close to scoring again, and their defending was not exactly resolute, but through last-ditch tackles and the occasional rash challenge, they just about went into the break with their goal intact.

Goa had the goal advantage, but they had also accumulated three yellow cards in a feisty first 45 minutes. It seemed only a matter of time before a Kerala equalizer as well as a Goa red card, and they both happened 30 seconds after the interval.

Josu and Belfort attacked the left flank straight from kick-off, and Josu drilled the ball into the danger zone. Goa's defence was yet to get into shape, and Rafique pounced on the loose ball, slicing it towards goal, but only to be stopped on the line by the right arm of Arnolin.

The block was not intentional, but by the letter of the law, the referee had no choice but to send Arnolin off and award a penalty. Belfort stepped up from the spot and did not waver, sending the keeper the wrong way.

In the space of 30 seconds, Goa had gone from a goal up and the chance to play the game on the counter, to suddenly conceding an equaliser and having to withstand more than 45 minutes of Kerala attacks with a man down.

The crowd was buoyed, as were the Kerala players. They launched wave after wave after wave of attack, keeping nearly every Goa player pinned to their own box.

Belfort glanced a header from a Josu cross just high, and Rafique failed to beat Kattimani when played through one-one-one by Antonio German, but Kerala knew that against a tiring Goa backline, a second goal was inevitable.

They remained patient, passing circles and looking to draw defenders out, and a frustrated Richarlyson eventually bit, lunging at Vineeth with a two-footed challenge. The referee showed Richarlyson a second yellow when even a direct red might have been justified, but Richarlyson himself was in disbelief with the decision.

He picked the ball straight up and headed towards the referee, gesturing to throw it at him, but common sense prevailed in the last second. Richarlyson's season might have well been over had he released the ball.

Goa employed a stunning 7-1-0 formation for the last 10 minutes, looking to drag the time out. Several players went to the ground easily, calling for lengthy breaks in the hope that it would unnerve Kerala.

Kerala did not blink, though. The referee called for ten additional minutes at the end of the 90, and when Romeo also had to be taken off the field with an injury, it was one bridge too far for Goa to cross.

At the very last minute of the game, Goa failed to deal with a cross from the right. The ball ping-ponged around at the edge of the box, and Cedric Hengbart headed it back inside. Nobody was on hand to mark Vineeth, who poked home from close range and immediately spun away to join his teammates in raucous celebrations.

His and Kerala's season is very much alive. Zico and Goa's is nearing its end.