AFC Champions League 2021 Highlights: The opening clash was held in Fatorda. (ISL)AFC Champions League 2021 Highlights: FC Goa kicked off their maiden AFC Champions League on a positive note as they drew 0-0 against Al Rayyan at The Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Wednesday.
Al Rayya, the Qatari side, dominated the matchup throughout with former FC Porto player Yacine Brahimi leading the attack. But FC Goa held their own through a spirited team performance. Having won the ISL League Winners’ Shield in the 2019/20 season, FC Goa qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League group stages. Besides Al Rayyan, the Gaurs will also have to contend with other well-known Asian clubs in the form of Persepolis FC (Iran) and Al Wahda (UAE).
And it ends all level! What a start for FC Goa as they hold Al Rayyan to a 0-0 draw in the first-ever AFC Champions League match. Laurent Blanc's side dominated throughout with Yacine Brahimi leading the attack. But, the Gaurs held their own till the very end.
BRILLIANT! Dheeraj keeps FC Goa level! A cross from the Al Rayyan right flank finds he head of Boli but the goalkeeper makes himself large and saves the effort! Ortiz picks up the ball and takes it out of the box and gets a foul near the centre-line. The foul leads to an altercation between the opposition teams' players. Ahmed El Sayed and Ivan Gonzalez get booked afterwards.
Saviour Gama replaces Romario to add some solidity in defence. Al Rayyan also make two changes, one of them being Kom.
After Pereira is shown a yellow card, Al Rayyan make a change to bring on a right winger. Boli gets another chance... misses it.
OUCH! Aziz brings down Ortiz in an attempt to snatch the ball from him. Minutes later, Ortiz goes into an aerial duel and he has a collision with Khalil. He falls to the ground and stays down. After some care from the physio, he's up and running again...
Kickoff! The second half restarts. Can Al Rayyan get that elusive goal or will FC Goa shock the Qatari side?
There's the half-time whistle and it's all square. Even after three minutes of added time, the Qatari side failed to get on the scoresheet despite having 7 shots on goal. On the other hand, Romario got FC Goa a corner towards the end of the half but nothing came off it. Still, it's a big positive for Ferrando and his side, to have kept the score level at the break. All to play for in the next 45...
Ibrahim Masoud goes into the book after a crunching tackle on Martins. Studs up, no doubt about it, yellow card. Minutes earlier, Pandita was in a position of danger but the young striker took too much time and was dispossessed by the opposition.
FC Goa look more and more confident as the game approaches the half-hour mark. Al Rayyan taking much more time on the ball now but they still remain threatening through the linkup play between Brahimi and Boli. No moment of magic so far in the match...
Al-Rayyan are in control of the game as expected but defender Mohamed Alaaeldin gets booked for an unnecessary foul on Ortiz. The FC Goa winger was in possession when Alaaeldin clipped his ankle from behind. The Gaurs are still settling in...
Former FC Porto player Yacine Brahimi has been running the show for the Qatari side right from the start. He drives through the centre of the park and unleashes a right-footed shot, but just wide. Minutes later, Dheeraj holds on to a loose ball inside the box.
And the ball is set rolling, kickoff! FC Goa are on the defensive right from the start as most players stick to their positions.
Al-Rayyan plays in the Qatar Stars League. A formidable force in its earlier years, the club has not enjoyed the same domination in recent years. The winner of eight top-flight trophies, the club's last title came in 2015-16 after a trophy drought of 21 years.
“It’s an important moment for the club, for Indian football as a whole. After the conclusion of the ISL, our entire focus shifted to the AFC Champions League. We are on our way to create history by becoming the first Indian club to compete in a tournament of such a high calibre. We are excited and we will try our best to fly the Indian flag high,” Ferrando said before FC Goa's campaign opener.
Entering unchartered territory on the back of their ISL League Winners Shield last season, the Gaurs will be up against three teams in Group E who all hail from countries that are either regulars or are about to participate in the FIFA World Cup. Apart from Al-Rayyan, last year’s runners-up Persepolis (Iran) and Al Wahda (UAE) are both tough matchups for the Indian side. | READ MORE |
Hello and welcome to the live commentary of a Group E clash in the AFC Champions League 2021 between FC Goa and Qatar's Al-Rayyan. The Gaurs will make history in less than an hour by becoming the first-ever Indian club to compete at the tournament.