FC Goa come up short to Mumbai City FC in 1-2 defeat at Fatorda

FC Goa come up short to Mumbai City FC in 1-2 defeat at Fatorda

October 19, 2024 – Goa, India: FC Goa suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC in their Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday.
Despite an inspired second-half performance and a goal from Armando Sadiku, the Gaurs were unable to overturn a two-goal deficit handed to them in the first half.
Earlier in the day, the Gaurs’ head coach Manolo Marquez made four changes to the starting XI from their previous 3-3 draw against NorthEast United FC, with Jay Gupta, Rowllin Borges, Brison Fernandes, and Carl McHugh replacing Nim Dorjee, Sahil Tavora, Ayush Chhetri, and Dejan Drazic, respectively.
The Men in Orange began the match with promise, dominating the early exchanges, but some questionable officiating decisions left the home side frustrated. A foul on Borja Herrera just outside the Mumbai City box went unnoticed by the referee, and a shirt pull on Sadiku during a corner-kick was also overlooked.
Mumbai City FC capitalized on this in the 21st minute when Greek forward Nikolaos Karelis headed in a Yoell Van Nieff free-kick from an acute angle, putting the visitors ahead. FC Goa had an opportunity to respond quickly through Sadiku, but the Albanian’s close-range effort went just wide of the post.
The Islanders doubled their lead in the 40th minute through Van Nieff, who stole possession from Carl McHugh in a dangerous area. The Dutch midfielder advanced forward and unleashed a powerful strike that beat Laxmikant Kattimani, giving his team a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
FC Goa emerged for the second half with renewed energy, launching a series of attacks in search of a comeback. Their persistence paid off in the 55th minute when a foul on Sadiku by Hmingthanmawia earned them a penalty.
Sadiku stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, notching his fifth goal in four matches and cutting Mumbai’s lead to one.
The Gaurs continued to press for an equalizer and the Fatorda crowd came alive in the 69th minute when fan-favorite Iker Guarrotxena made his return from injury, replacing Carl McHugh. The Spaniard, who had been sidelined since the start of the season, came close to scoring in the 81st minute, but his shot drifted wide.
In the closing stages, Manolo Marquez threw everything forward, opting for an all-out attack by bringing on Dejan Drazic for defender Odei Onaindia. Despite the late surge, the Men in Orange could not break down the Islanders’ defense, and Mumbai City FC held on for their first victory of the season, handing the hosts their second loss.
FC Goa will now look to bounce back when they travel to Chennai to face Chennaiyin FC next Thursday.
About FC Goa
FC Goa is a professional football club based out of Goa that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL). Nicknamed the Gaurs, FC Goa have been one of the most consistently successful teams in the ISL – reaching 5 semi-finals and 2 finals in 10 seasons.

The Club also hold the record for the most goals, joint-most golden boots and most number of playoff appearances (7 in total) in the history of the league.

In 2020, FC Goa also became the first team from India to qualify for the league stages of the AFC Champions League, by virtue of winning the first-ever ISL League Winners Shield in the 2019-20 season.

The Gaurs’ trophy cabinet is further adorned by the 2019 Super Cup, the 2018-19 Goa Professional League, the 2020 Goa Police Cup and the 2021 Durand Cup.

Co-owned by Mr. Jaydev Mody, Mr. Akshay Tandon and Mr. Virat Kohli, FC Goa are one of the few Indian clubs to have a complete youth development ecosystem. Its U13, U15, U17, U19 and Developmental Teams compete at the highest levels in Goa and India.

The FC Goa Development Team won the Goa Professional League, the top-division football league in the state, in 2018-19. In 2020, they lifted the Goa Police Cup as well. The Club’s U13 and U15 teams, meanwhile, are the reigning champions of their respective age categories in the Goa Football Association (GFA) state league for the