FC Goa’s homecoming at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda would have ended in a defeat, but Borja Herrera rose to the occasion once again, this time with an injury-time equaliser, to help the Gaurs hold NorthEast United FC to a 3-3 draw in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday. Armando Sadiku, who came back into the side after a short-term injury, scored a brace for the Men in Orange.
Earlier in the day, head coach Manolo Marquez made three changes to the starting lineup from last week’s win over East Bengal FC. Carl McHugh, suspended for this match, was replaced by Sadiku. Sahil Tavora replaced Rowllin Borges and Ayush Chhetri stepped in for Brison Fernandes.
The visitors started brightly, and it was Néstor Albiach who opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute. Picking up a pass in the attacking third, Albiach danced past FC Goa’s defenders before rifling a left-footed shot past Laxmikant Kattimani to put his team ahead.
Goa responded well, creating several chances in quick succession. Attempts from Ayush Chhetri, Sadiku, and Dejan Dražić between the 14th and 20th minutes all fell short of finding the back of the net. NorthEast United nearly doubled their lead in the 30th minute, but Alaeddine Ajaraie’s effort was well-saved by Kattimani.
The Gaurs’ best chance of the first half came in the 38th minute. Boris Singh’s through-ball found Dražić, who set up Armando Sadiku for a first-time shot that narrowly missed the target. But just before half-time, FC Goa won a penalty after the
Serbian was clipped inside the box by Mohammed Ali Bemammer. Sadiku stepped up and calmly converted to level the score at 1-1, taking his goal tally to 9 in 8 matches.
The Albanian struck again moments after the second half kicked off. A neat one-two between Boris Singh and Ayush ended with a low cross to the far post, where the 33-year-old slotted home from close range to give Goa a 2-1 lead in the 47th minute.
However, the Highlanders responded quickly. Just four minutes later, Albiach found himself unmarked in the box and latched onto a pass from Ajaraie to restore parity at 2-2. They then completed their comeback in the 56th minute, with Ajaraie dispossessing Dražić in midfield and advancing with the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty box, before curling a shot past Kattimani to make it 3-2.
FC Goa pushed for an equaliser, with Sadiku coming close to completing his hat-trick in the 65th minute, but he failed to connect with Borja Herrera’s long ball. Aakash Sangwan also had an opportunity to level the score in the 74th minute, attempting a shot that was brilliantly saved by NorthEast United goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh.
At the end of it all, it was Borja who handed the hosts a much-deserved point in the fourth minute of stoppage time, after the side gave it their all throughout the second half.
The Spaniard is now the leader of the ISL 2024-25 Golden Boot charts, after scoring what was his fourth goal in four matches so far.
Following the hard-fought draw, FC Goa are currently in fourth place on the standings, with 5 points. The Men in Orange will now look to regroup during the international break before facing Mumbai City FC in another home clash on October
19.
