Staff Reporter
Panaji
FC Goa rose from near-certain defeat to stun a spirited Punjab FC 2-1, sealing their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Kalinga Super Cup with a comeback for the ages in Bhubaneswar.
For 88 minutes at the Kalinga Stadium, it was Punjab who dared to dream.
Compact, disciplined, and fearless, they had withstood wave after wave of Goan pressure after Ezequiel Vidal’s opportunistic strike early in the second half had given them a slender — but seemingly unbreakable — lead.
Yet in the cruel theatre of knockout football, dreams can shatter in an instant.
As Punjab’s players began to sense the enormity of what they were about to achieve, their grip faltered. A hopeful cross from substitute Brison Fernandes found chaos instead of clearance, and Borja Herrera, the calmest man amid the scramble, steered his shot low and true to level the match in the 89th minute.
Barely three minutes later, agony turned into heartbreak.
A misjudged defensive header floated into dangerous territory, and Mohammed Yasir, with time and space, unleashed a ferocious finish into the roof of the net.
What had seemed impossible for Goa moments earlier was now complete.
The final whistle brought scenes of jubilation and devastation in equal measure. Goa’s bench emptied in celebration, while Punjab’s players sank to their knees, unable to comprehend how victory had slipped so brutally from their grasp.
Earlier, it had been Punjab who carried the early threat. Their pressing unsettled Goa, with Nikhil Prabhu’s header drawing a sharp early save from goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari.
The normally influential Iker Guarrotxena found little joy against Punjab’s suffocating defensive shape, while Goa’s early chances — notably a gilt-edged miss from Udanta Singh — went begging.
When Muhammad Suhail’s rasping strike cannoned off the post and Vidal reacted quickest to score in the 57th minute, Punjab’s belief visibly grew.
They defended deep, absorbed Goa’s growing desperation, and for long stretches, seemed set to produce one of the upsets of the tournament.
But football, ever the unforgiving scriptwriter, had other plans.
Borja Herrera’s late heroics earned him the Kalinga Player of the Match award, presented by Shri Amit Kumar Nayak, Deputy Secretary of Sports and Youth Services, Odisha — a fitting tribute on a night when resilience, not dominance, proved decisive.
FC Goa now move into a blockbuster semi-final against Mohun Bagan Super Giant on April 30, armed with not just momentum but the unshakable belief that some victories are written not by tactics, but by sheer force of will.
