<p>FC Goa, the first team from India to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, punched above their weight to hold Qatar's Al-Rayyan, coached by renowned French World Cup winner Laurent Blanc, to a goalless draw here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>FC Goa produced a commendable performance to keep the side coached by the former Paris Saint-Germain manager at bay for the full duration of the match.</p>.<p>Rising to the occasion were the likes of Ishan Pandita and young goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, who, among others, made a brilliant save in the 87th minute and a crucial tackle before that to deny the fancied visitors.</p>.<p>As expected, Al Rayyan looked the dominant team from the beginning, creating the best chances of the match with Yacine Brahimi leading the attack at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.</p>.<p>However, finishing let the visitors down on the day.</p>.<p>The Indian Super League team deserves credit for the manner in which it thwarted the opposition attacks in the first half and managed to match Al-Rayyan in terms of possession.</p>.<p>FC Goa's disciplined defending frustrated the opponent and coach Juan Ferrando would be a satisfied man.</p>.<p>It has been a good debut outing for Ferrando's side in the premier competition as it managed to keep a clean sheet and maintain possession against a fancied opponent.</p>.<p>Having won the ISL League Winners' Shield in the 2019/20 season, FC Goa qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League group stages.</p>.<p>Besides Al-Rayyan, the Gaurs will also have to contend with other well-known Asian clubs in Persepolis FC (Iran) and Al Wahda (UAE) in the competition.</p>.<p>Goa's last competitive match was more than a month ago against Mumbai City in the second leg of the ISL play-offs.</p>.<p>Al-Rayyan's last match was on April 9 in the Stars League and they came into the Champions League with a lot of competitive action under their belt.</p>
<p>FC Goa, the first team from India to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, punched above their weight to hold Qatar's Al-Rayyan, coached by renowned French World Cup winner Laurent Blanc, to a goalless draw here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>FC Goa produced a commendable performance to keep the side coached by the former Paris Saint-Germain manager at bay for the full duration of the match.</p>.<p>Rising to the occasion were the likes of Ishan Pandita and young goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, who, among others, made a brilliant save in the 87th minute and a crucial tackle before that to deny the fancied visitors.</p>.<p>As expected, Al Rayyan looked the dominant team from the beginning, creating the best chances of the match with Yacine Brahimi leading the attack at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.</p>.<p>However, finishing let the visitors down on the day.</p>.<p>The Indian Super League team deserves credit for the manner in which it thwarted the opposition attacks in the first half and managed to match Al-Rayyan in terms of possession.</p>.<p>FC Goa's disciplined defending frustrated the opponent and coach Juan Ferrando would be a satisfied man.</p>.<p>It has been a good debut outing for Ferrando's side in the premier competition as it managed to keep a clean sheet and maintain possession against a fancied opponent.</p>.<p>Having won the ISL League Winners' Shield in the 2019/20 season, FC Goa qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League group stages.</p>.<p>Besides Al-Rayyan, the Gaurs will also have to contend with other well-known Asian clubs in Persepolis FC (Iran) and Al Wahda (UAE) in the competition.</p>.<p>Goa's last competitive match was more than a month ago against Mumbai City in the second leg of the ISL play-offs.</p>.<p>Al-Rayyan's last match was on April 9 in the Stars League and they came into the Champions League with a lot of competitive action under their belt.</p>