Atletico de Kolkata can count themselves fortunate, despite being held to a goalless draw at home in the first leg of their Indian Super League (ISL) semifinal against FC Goa on Sunday night.
Playing in front of 53,173 fans at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata could easily be trailing as they head to Goa for Wednesday's second leg. Brazilian legend Zico's men dominated the match but their finishing let them down.
Goa took control of the game early in the first half with their slick midfield passing. Andre Santos -- a former Arsenal full-back -- was at the heart of the engine room which outclassed the more experienced midfield of Kolkata, comprising former Champions League winning Liverpool legend Luis Garcia and former Real Madrid midfielder Borja Fernandez. Zico decided not to bring on Arsenal legend Robert Pires, who remained on the bench for the whole duration of the game.
Santos' fellow midfielder Mandar Rao Desai created the first good scoring opportunity towards the later part of the half. He dribbled past defenders on the left and sent in an accurate cross to fellow midfielder Romeo Fernandes running in at the far post. The local lad from Goa, however, failed to finish.
A few minutes later, Fernandes nearly made amends. He won possession in midfield, ran towards area and tested the Kolkata goalkeeper Apoula Edel Bete with a powerful shot. However, Bete parried the shot.
In the second half, Goa pushed forward while the home team defended deep and initiated a few counter-attacking moves. The home team missed the pace and physical presence upfront of their Ethiopian striker Fikru Teffera who did not play because of a side strain.
Goa striker Miroslav Slepicka was a constant threat to the Kolkata defence in the second half. The Czech striker benefited from the good service provided by his midfield with Santos being outstanding. The Brazilian chipped a delightful ball over the defence to find Slepicka but the striker could only come up with a tame effort.
Fernandes also missed a good chance towards the end of the half. Slepicka won possession and slipped the winger in but Bete showed fine judgment to come off his line quickly to save off the Goan midfielder.
Zico was confident that his side would go through to the final. "The semifinals are a game of 180 minutes," he told the ISL's official website. "The first 90 minutes are over and now we have to see how the next 90 minutes go. I am 100 percent confident that we will win the next match and advance to the final. It will be a difficult game as the first leg. These are two strong teams."
Goa will be the happier of the two sides ahead of Wednesday's second leg in the famous seaside city. Kolkata, however, will take heart from their 2-1 win in Goa during the league phase.
Chennaiyin FC will take on Kerala Blasters FC in the second leg of the other semifinal on Tuesday. Kerala are ahead 3-0 on aggregate after their resounding win over their southern neighbours in Saturday's first leg at home.