FC Goa went down 1-2 to Saudi Arabian giants Al- Nassr in their third Group A fixture of the AFC Champions League Two here on Wednesday.
In a match in the run-up to which there was a huge anticipation over megastar Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation for Al Nassr, the fancied visitors started dominating from the word go, scoring in the 10th and 27th minute through Angelo Gabriel and Haroune Camara respectively, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Super-sub Brison Fernandes came off the bench and reduced the margin for FC Goa with his 41st minute strike.
Before that, the 20-year-old Gabriel got the ball outside the box and unleashed a right-footed shot that rattled the FC Goa net to give Al-Nassr an early lead.
This was the young Brazilian’s second AFC Champions League Two goal.
Al-Nassr doubled the lead when Camara scored beautifully off a cross from the left by Ayman, his attempt going past a crowded Goa backline after a dominant display by his team which enjoyed higher ball possession.
Then, before the half time break, Brison struck for Goa after receiving a through ball from Borja Fernandez, having entered the box after beating his marker before using his right foot to strike at the Al Nassr post.
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Towards the end, David Timor got a straight red card for a challenge to reduce FC Goa to 10 men.
Al-Nassr have maintained a perfect record till now, and top Group D with eight points. Prior to facing FC Goa, they cruised to a 5-0 win against FC Istiklol in their opening match, before eking out a 2-0 victory against Al Zawraa SC.
FC Goa, on the other hand, have endured a difficult campaign and are at the bottom of the table currently. The Gaurs began their campaign with a 2–0 defeat to Al Zawraa SC before going down by the same margin against Istiklol.
