Igor Angulo’s brace helped FC Goa salvage a 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC (BFC) in their opening Indian Super League (ISL) encounter, at Fatorda Stadium in Margao on Sunday.
New signing Angulo, a replacement for prolific striker Ferran Corominas, made a mark in his ISL debut. FC Goa entered the second-half trailing 0-2, before Angulo came alive. The Spaniard scored his first goal in the 66th minute, slipping behind the BFC defence to latch on to a clever pass from Alberto Noguera.
A strong left-footed shot was too hot to handle for BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh. Just a few minutes later, Angulo was in perfect position in front of goal to chest in a cross from Brandon Fernandes.
On the double
Earlier, BFC held all the cards, going in front through goals from Cleiton Silva and Juanan. On both occasions, the FC Goa defence stumbled. Brazilian Silva got on the scoresheet in the 27th minute, with a powerful header which flew past FC Goa custodian Mohammad Nawaz. Silva was able to shake off his marker Sanson Pereira much too easily.
Juanan doubled BFC’s lead after the restart, when he found him completely unmarked deep inside the FC Goa box. BFC midfielder Erik Paartalu — similarly left free — had all the time and space in the world to head the ball to Juanan, who slammed his shot in. The FC Goa back-line had fallen asleep, and paid the price.
FC Goa played with greater purpose in the second-half, creating chances regularly. BFC, on the other hand, was content to play it safe, substituting forward Udanta Singh for defender Rahul Bheke. The approach did not work, however, as Angulo and FC Goa came roaring back.
The result: BFC 2 (Cleiton Silva 27, Juanan 57) drew with FC Goa 2 (Igor Angulo 66, 69).
