FC Goa slam four past listless Dynamos

Delhi side slumps to last spot on the points table

The thin attendance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the home ground of Delhi Dynamos, spoke of their uninspiring performance in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Not parting from their winless stretch, the Dynamos, on Thursday, slumped to a sordid 4-1 loss to FC Goa in the clash of the two bottom-placed sides.

Without their coach Harm Van Veldhoven and star player Alessandro Del Piero, who watched the action from the dugout, Dynamos came up with their worst performance in the tournament to replace Goa at the bottom place.

The visitors are now at the seventh place with eight points.

It was an attacking start by both sides but Goa soon asserted themselves.

Striker Tolgay Ozbey from the left flank and captain and midfielder Robert Pires led the Goan attack initially and  Dynamos’ backline was repeatedly tested.

Twice Tolgay attempted to find the back of the net but the reliable Kristof Van Hout would not allow it to happen.

It was only in the 18th minute that Belgian custodian’s resistance crumbled. Gregory Arnolin’s header was well blocked by Van Hout but Younes Bengelloun, lurking near the goalpost, pounced on the rebound to smash the ball in.

Stunned, Dynamos regrouped with some fine passing but their attacks lacked direction.

Goa, now defending with vigour, successfully thwarted their attempts.

The closest the homeside came to scoring was when a pinpoint cross by Steven Dias from the right was picked by a sprinting Robert Lalthlamuana, only to misfire his volley.

The rest of the first half saw Dynamos’ desperate attempts to score but to no success. Goa, dominant and uncompromising, entered the half time leading 1-0.

The nightmare for Dynamos, however, was yet to begin. As the visitors continued with their vibrant run in the second half, the homeside, within minutes, was reeling under a barrage of goals.

A superb free-kick ball by Andre Santos from the midfield saw Bengelloun towering over the slack Dynmos defenders and heading it for a brace in the 48th minute.

Dynamos had barely recovered when Van Hout was yellow carded for fouling a sprinting Ozbey in the box.

Pires, taking the penalty kick, shot to the left to score his maiden ISL goal.

But Goa were not done yet. Shortly after, Ozbey dribbled unchallenged into the Dynamos’ box and fired right in to make it 4-0 for Goa in the 60th minute. Dynamos, shell-shocked, simply went through the motions.

Their attacks, thereafter, looked insipid and purposeless.

The only bright moment for Dynamos came in the 73rd minute when Dynamos got the penalty after Debabrata Roy handled the cross of Francis Fernando.

Gustavo Marmentini dos Santos converted it to open the account for the Delhi side. It, though was too little, too late.

On Friday,  Atletico de Kolkata take on Chennaiyins FC.