Gaur of the Match – Romeo Fernandes

GOA:
With a severely depleted FC Goa desperately needing a victory against NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, their backs were against the wall after the Highlanders took a second half lead. Although the Gaurs came roaring back into the contest through Robin Singh’s tap in, Sahil Tavora’s red card further stacked the odds against them.
However, the team rallied together and Romeo Fernandes in particular shone bright. Romeo was a thorn in the side for the NorthEast defence throughout the encounter and constantly burst clear on the right. His pace and trickery was hard to keep a track of and he used this to his benefit. He chased a long ball down mid way through the first half, beat his marker and put the ball on a plate for Robin to tap home. The Goan tried hard all through the second half to get a breakthrough as he linked up well with Rafael Coelho and Robin Singh to put his team on the front foot despite the numbers difference. In the end, it was his perseverance that came to the fore as he received a good pass from Robin, rounded Subrata Paul expertly and tapped home from a tight angle to set Fatorda roaring.