On a night that had everything – drama, dominance, dazzling football, and even a dash of injustice – FC Goa delivered a performance worthy of the big stage, but fell agonisingly short of the Indian Super League (ISL) final despite a rousing 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in the second leg of the 2024-25 semi-finals at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
Trailing 0-2 from the first leg in Bengaluru last week, the Gaurs needed nothing short of a miracle. And for 90 minutes, it looked like they just might pull it off.
From the opening whistle, it was all orange. Manolo Marquez’s men were relentless, hungry, and completely in control, setting up camp in the BFC half and launching wave after wave of attack. The early moments saw Iker Guarrotxena light up the stadium packed with over 16 thousand spectators with his movement and intent, but the crowd was left stunned in the 2nd minute when the Spaniard was felled inside the box – only for the referee to blow his whistle and brandish a yellow card to the forward for simulation.
If anything, that only added fuel to the fire. Aakash Sangwan tried his luck from range in the 7th minute, while Iker himself came close just minutes later with a curler that narrowly missed the target. Dejan Drazic was everywhere – weaving through defenders, and combining with his team-mates, but just couldn’t find the finishing touch.
The pressure was relentless. Ayush Chhetri, Udanta Singh, even skipper Odei Onaindia – all took aim at goal before the break, but the Blues’ defence clung on by the skin of their teeth.
Despite the scoreboard reading 0-0 at half-time, there was no doubt about who was in control. And then, just four minutes into the second half, Fatorda erupted in ecstacy.
After Ayush was brought down right on the edge of the box – a challenge that should have resulted in a penalty – Borja Herrera stepped up and whipped in a sumptuous left-footed free-kick that bent past goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and into the far corner.
Borja almost doubled the lead moments later, Tavora fired wide, and then came a moment of magic – and controversy. In the 60th minute, Iker split open the Bengaluru defence with a jaw-dropping pass to Dejan, who coolly slotted it past the ‘keeper. But the linesman’s flag went up. Offside, he said. Replays showed otherwise.
The Gaurs didn’t let up. Iker, Ayush, Udanta, Dejan – all came close again as the clock ticked on. The pressure was finally rewarded in the 88th minute when Aakash Sangwan, who impressed all evening, floated in a precise cross for substitute Armando Sadiku to power home a header into the bottom corner. 2-0. Aggregate tied. Fatorda dared to dream.
But football, like life, can be cruel. With just seconds left in stoppage time, BFC won a corner. A floated ball, a failed clearance, a cross back into the box, and a flicked header from Sunil Chhetri – and
just like that, the dream was over. 2-1 on the night. 2-3 on aggregate.
FC Goa had been the better team by a mile – 10 shots on target to Bengaluru’s 2, almost 400 passes, 63% possession, and enough moments to fill a highlight reel. But the Blues had done just enough over the two legs. For the Gaurs, heartbreak. For the fans, pride. Because what unfolded tonight was a performance soaked in passion, courage and unshakable belief. The ISL 2024-25 campaign may have come to an end, but FC Goa have one more opportunity to chase much-deserved silverware, with the AIFF Super Cup set to kick-off later this month.
