ISL: FC Goa seal semis spot with 2-1 win over Chennaiyin FC

FC Goa qualified for the Indian Super League ISL 202324 semifinals by defeating Chennaiyin FC by 21 in their playoffs fixture at the Fatorda Stadium here on SaturdayThe Gaurs will square off against Mumbai City FC across two legs in their lastfour clash whereas Chennaiyin FC have been eliminated from the competition as a consequence of this resultFC Goa scored 39 goals in the 22 league matches they played With the help of a promising frontline they often unlocked the oppositions using different ways and tonight were no different Whilst their first goal by Noah Sadaoui was a product of a proper team effort the other one by Brandon Fernandes was one of the most sensational solo strikes of the seasonAlso ReadIN PHOTOS IPL 2024 GT vs PBKS Heres all you need to knowNoah had primarily played through the left flank for most of this season but it seemed that Manolo Marquez had handed him a more freeflowing responsibility in this match When the Gaurs broke the deadlock in the 36th minute Noah was functioning through the right flank He collected the ball passed it on to Boris Singh beside him Boris played the ball to Brandon inside the box before it went to Carl McHugh There was a tough tussle to win the challenge between both the sides at that point but Noah picked it up and hammered it into the back of the net to notch the opener and open the floodgates for an immersive next 10 minutesBrandon who was a critical component of the first strike scored the second one by coming deep near the halfway mark and collecting a pass by Jay Gupta from the left flank Brandon dropped a shoulder as his piercing pace helped him beat Chennaiyin FC midfielder Jiteshwor Singh who chased him right till the edge of the box Brandon sensed that it was his moment of reckoning though and hence opted against engaging in any sort of buildup and decided to deposit the ball right into the top of the net in the 45th minuteChennaiyin FC clawed back slightly into the game all thanks to their centreback duo of Ryan Edwards and Lazar Cirkovic Aakash Sangawan delivered a corner to Edwards on the far post in the added time of the first half who headed it straight to FC Goa goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh The custodian got a palm to the shot but couldnrsquot stop it completely leading to Cirkovic scoring from the rebound from a very close range Whilst the Marina Machans banked on their aerial prowess to try and make a contest out of this playoff it was Marquez amp Co that eventually prevailed in setting up a semifinal date with Mumbai City FCBrandon Fernandes was at the top of his game in this match completing 14 out of his 20 attempted passes He drew two fouls created a couple of goalscoring opportunities made five crosses and scored the allimportant goal at the brink of the halftime whistleFC Goa will play Mumbai City FC in the ISL 202324 semifinals whereas Chennaiyin FC have crashed out of the competition with this lossThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever