FC Goa marked Head Coach Manolo Marquez’s 100th match in the Indian Super League (ISL) with a clinical 2-0 victory over his former side, Hyderabad FC, at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium. The win sees the Gaurs climb up to third in the league standings, just two points adrift of joint-leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bengaluru FC, both on 20 points.
Wednesday’s fixture carried added significance as Marquez, who spent three successful seasons with Hyderabad FC before joining FC Goa, guided his current side to a crucial away win.
The Spaniard made three changes to his line-up from the last match against Kerala Blasters, with Jay Gupta, Udanta Singh and Armando Sadiku returning to the starting XI in place of Aakash Sangwan, Sahil Tavora and Dejan Drazic.
FC Goa opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Udanta Singh. A perfectly-weighted long pass from Mohammad Yasir switched play to the opposite flank, finding Udanta in space. The winger then showed great composure as he advanced
into the box and slotted the ball past Hyderabad goalkeeper Lalbiakhlua Jongte at the near post.
Eleven minutes later, the Gaurs doubled their advantage with a brilliant team effort. After a sequence of passes, the ball fell to Armando Sadiku just outside the box. With defenders closing in, the Albanian forward executed a clever heel-flick to find an onrushing Iker Guarrotxena. The Spaniard’s shot deflected off Hyderabad defender Stefan Sapic, wrong-footed Jongte and nestled in the far corner of the net.
Trailing 2-0, the Nawabs emerged for the second half with renewed intent, creating several threatening chances. However, Goa’s defence remained resolute, led by goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, who was in exceptional form. Tiwari made seven crucial saves on the night, denying the home side any chance of a comeback.
At the other end, the Men in Orange continued to create opportunities of their own whenever they could, with Guarrotxena coming close to extending the lead on a couple of occasions. The scoreline, however, remained unchanged until the final
whistle as the visitors secured all three points.
With the victory, FC Goa have moved closer to the summit of the table ahead of the festive year-ender phase. Their next assignment is another tough away clash against Bengaluru FC, one of the two teams currently leading the standings.
