Fatorda: FC Goa bid farewell to their faithful – for the time being, that is – in emphatic fashion, securing a 2-0 victory over Mohammedan SC in their final home fixture of the league campaign
The win, their fifth on the trot and 14th overall this season, solidified their second-place finish in the standings with 48 points from 23 matches.
With qualification already sealed, head coach Manolo Marquez rang in the changes, handing starts to debutant goalkeeper Lara Sharma and young full-back Sanatomba Singh among others. Later in the game, academy graduate Prachit Gaonkar marked a historic moment, becoming the first player to rise through the Club’s ranks from U-13 to the first team and make his ISL debut.
Once the referee blew his whistle to kick-start the clash, the Men in Orange wasted little time asserting their dominance, launching wave after wave of attacks. Within the first 10 minutes, Rowllin Borges, Boris Singh and Iker Guarrotxena all came close, testing Mohammedan SC’s resilience. The visitors, too, showed glimpses of fight, with striker Carlos França narrowly missing the target from a free kick in the 9th minute.
However, FC Goa’s relentless pressure finally paid dividends in the 40th minute when Guarrotxena, with his impeccable sense of positioning, nodded home a precise header into the top corner.
In the 86th minute, the hosts wrapped up the win in dramatic fashion. Borja Herrera whipped in a menacing delivery from a corner, finding Guarrotxena once again at the back post. His header struck the post, and in a desperate attempt to keep it out, Mohammedan goalkeeper Chhetri inadvertently turned the ball into his
own net.
The scoreboard read 2-0, and the Gaurs knew they had sealed the perfect send-off for their fans.
And now, with just one league fixture remaining against Mohun Bagan Super Giant on Saturday, FC Goa will look to finish their campaign on a high before returning home for the all-important ISL Cup
semi-finals.
