And, finally, they did it! FC Goa got it right winning against table toppers Bengaluru FC 3-0, making it a sweet Saturday for the roughly 9600 crowd at the Fatorda stadium in South Goa, who rejoiced in their team's first home win in the Indian Super League.
When goals mattered they poured and at every goal, the stadium erupted hysterically with cries and drums. It was uzzo (fire) throughout the game and Bengaluru found it very hard to douse it. And the drums kept on beating even after the game ended.
It looked like Gerard Zaragoza's boys in blue had no clue what was happening to them. Manolo appeared satisfied with his boys' performance and went home happy for keeping a clean slate against Bengaluru FC.
In both halves of the game, FC Goa played attacking football. The first half saw them breaking into Bengaluru citadel every minute with fine ground passes, showing killer intent.
After the drinks break in the 36th minute of the first half, FC Goa made a good move that could trouble Bengaluru. Mohammed Yasir came up with a fine cross from a free kick inside the rival box. The ball found Odei Onaindia, but the FC Goa captain failed to make contact. This was Goa’s best chance in the first half which ended in a draw.
In the second half, FC Goa looked more potent and showed its desire to find the back of the net. Their efforts paid off in the 63rd minute when Yasir took the ball inside the Bengaluru box from the right and passed it to Armando Sadiku, who managed to find the net, aided by a slight deflection, making it 1-0 for FC Goa.
If Sadiku scored the first goal, he was the architect of the second when he dispossessed a complacent Bengaluru keeper Gurpreet Sandhu of the ball who had all the the time to clear it. His delay in clearing the ball gave Sadiku time to sneak in from behind and push the ball to Brison Fernandes, who wasted no time in lobbing it into the empty net to make it 2-0.
Even as the game was drawing to a close, in the added time (90+3') when the crowd started getting ready to go home happy with the 2-0 score, Iker Guarrotxena, who came in as a substitute, tossed the ball over to Dejan Drazic, who lost no opportunity in making his way inside the Bengaluru box and shoot past Gurpreet for Goa’s third goal.
If the two goals were the cake, the third one was the icing on the cake. It was a night the Gaurs will not forget till they play Punjab FC on November 6 at the same venue.
In the post-match press conference, FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez had a word of praise for Punjab FC coach and said he was wary of the team's prowess and would not let his guard down.
With this win, FC Goa ended Bengaluru's six-match unbeaten streak and are now in fifth place in the standings with nine points from seven matches.
Today’s match was fast-paced, showcasing both skill and determination, and it’s sure to attract even more fans to Fatorda for the upcoming clash on Wednesday. The excitement is building, and the team looks poised for a strong finish!