Kerala Blasters and FC Goa were locked in a two-horse race for the fourth ISL play-off spot. By the looks of it, the Gaurs are going to emerge victorious ahead of Kochi-based club that reached the season break as table toppers.
Ahead of KBFC's home game against the mighty Mohun Bagan at home on Wednesday, FC Goa were ahead with 33 points from 18 games. At 29 from 17, a win at their fortress was mandatory for Ivan Vukomanovic's team to keep their hopes alive and bright. However, the game ended in the Kolkata outfit's favour thanks to a 97th-minute strike from Jason Cummings.
It was not an ideal star for KBFC as Armando Sadiku took just four minutes to hand Mohun Bagan the lead. Despite their sincere efforts to attack through the wings, Bagan managed to keep their lead intact until halftime.
The final half witnessed the game evolving into a high-scoring affair. Local boy Vibin Mohanan equalised before the roaring Manjappada in the 54th minute, but Sadiku restored Bagan's lead in the hour-mark. Three minutes later, star forward Dimitrios Diamantakos restored parity for the Blasters, only to see his side go behind yet again after five minutes. This time, it was Deepak Tangri who scored for the visitors in the 68th.
KBFC's efforts for another equilizer was successfully neutralised by the table toppers, who hit the final nail through Cummings deep into added time to make it 4-2. Diamanatakos did score his second in the 99th minute, but there was not enough time for Blasters to find the goal that would have earned them a point from the game.
