FC Goa edged Jamshedpur FC 1-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday to bag their fifth victory of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season.
Substitute Victor Rodriguez came off the bench in the 61st minute and converted an opportunity that came his way in the 84th minute.
What followed was an exciting passage of play, with Jamshedpur FC nearly finding the equaliser through winger Seiminlen Doungel.
It would be fair to say that Goa held the upper hand early on in the proceedings. Sadaoui, Martinez, and star attacking midfielder Brandon Fernandes made multiple attempts to score past Yadav in the first half. They all made shots on target, but some prompt awareness and shot-stopping by the young custodian ensured that Scott Cooper and his men did not go behind early on in the proceedings.
Manolo Marquez and his tactical awareness deserves applause though, as he brought Rodriguez onto the field at a very crucial juncture in the game. His past performances warranted his introduction into the proceedings, but to take a sharp shooter like Martinez off at a time when the team was desperately searching for a goal was a brave decision. Marquez showed tremendous clarity of thought at that point in time, and that ensured that the Gaurs secured their fifth win of the season.
