Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
FATORDA: FC Goa secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League in front of an electrifying home crowd at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here, on Saturday.
Goals from Armando Sadiku, Brison Fernandes and Dejan Drazic sealed the Gaurs’ first home win of the season, ending the Blues’ six-match unbeaten streak and lifting themselves to fourth place in the standings with nine points from seven matches.
Earlier in the day, FC Goa Head Coach Manolo Marquez made six changes to the starting line-up that had drawn against Chennaiyin FC last week. Hrithik Tiwari replaced Laxmikant Kattimani in goal, while Mohammad Yasir, Sahil Tavora, Ayush Chhetri and Armando Sadiku also entered the fray.
The most anticipated change was the return of defender Sandesh Jhingan, who made his comeback after a nine-month injury layoff, replacing Jay Gupta in defence.
The Men in Orange started strong, with Boris Singh almost setting up Dejan Drazic for an early lead in the 4th minute. Armando Sadiku and Aakash Sangwan then tested Bengaluru FC’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu twice in the next six minutes, but the visitors’ goalkeeper denied them both.
After a goalless first half, the breakthrough came for the Gaurs in the 63rd minute when Yasir sprinted down the right flank, evading defenders before finding Sadiku unmarked at the far post. The Albanian striker made no mistake, guiding the ball into the net, aided by a slight deflection.
FC Goa then doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute through Brison Fernandes. A momentary lapse by Gurpreet allowed Sadiku to intercept a pass and nudge it towards the youngster, who calmly lobbed the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to make it, 2-0.
The Goa-born youngster’s composed finish thrilled the home crowd, bringing them to their feet.
In stoppage time, Drazic added a third goal, capping off the hosts’ dominant performance. Intercepting a ball in midfield, he combined with Iker Guarrotxena before slotting home at the near post, leaving Gurpreet with no chance and securing a well-deserved 3-0 triumph for this team.
FC Goa will aim to build on this momentum as they prepare to host Punjab FC on Wednesday, in their next assignment in the league.