FC Goa set for high-stakes Semi-Final showdown against Bengaluru FC
April 1, 2025 – Goa, India: The stage is set, and the stakes have never been higher for FC Goa. On Wednesday, April 2, the Gaurs will lock horns with Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 Cup semi-finals at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
With a place in the grand finale at stake, an electric battle awaits between the two teams – first under the floodlights of the Kanteerava, before the action shifts to the PJN Stadium in Fatorda four days later.
For the Men in Orange, this is more than just another knockout clash. The Club from Goa are not just a team – they are an institution in the ISL, one of the most dominant and consistent forces in the league’s history. Holding records for the most points won, the most goals scored and the most semi-final appearances in ISL history among others, this will be their eighth semi-final in 11 seasons – a testament to their enduring excellence.
This season, too, Manolo Marquez’s men have shown their pedigree, finishing second in the league stage with a club-record 48 points in 24 matches. Fourteen wins, six draws and just four defeats tell the story of a side that remained in the ISL League Winners’ Shield race until the final matchweeks. Though the Shield narrowly slipped away, the Gaurs have their eyes firmly set on silverware, with the ISL Cup now standing as the ultimate prize.
Standing in their way, however, is a resurgent Bengaluru FC side brimming with confidence after a 5-0 demolition of Mumbai City FC in the playoffs. In a ruthless display at the same venue last week, five different goal scorers found the net and the Blues kept a clean sheet to announce their arrival in the semis.
Yet, if history is anything to go by, FC Goa know how to rise to the occasion. The two sides shared the spoils in an intense 2-2 draw at the Kanteerava earlier in the league campaign, a match where the Gaurs held a 2-0 advantage before a late comeback saw the Blues claw back a point. But Goa also remember their dominant 3-0 victory at Fatorda in November, a night that changed the course of their season.
That emphatic win not only knocked Gerard Zaragoza’s off the top of the table but also sparked a turnaround for the Gaurs, who have been nearly unstoppable ever since.
Of course, there are ghosts of the past to exorcise. The last time these two teams met in a knockout game, the 2018-19 ISL final, it was Bengaluru FC who emerged victorious – Rahul Bheke’s extra-time header sealing heartbreak for Goa. Six years later, the Gaurs have the perfect opportunity to set the record straight.
With the second leg set to unfold at Fatorda next Sunday, FC Goa will be determined to return home with an advantage. A battle of grit, skill and spirit awaits – and the Gaurs are ready.
About FC Goa
FC Goa are a professional football club based out of Goa that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL). Founded on August 26, 2014, “the Gaurs” have been one of the most consistently successful teams in the ISL – reaching 6 semi-finals and 2 finals in 11 seasons.
The Club also hold the record for the most goals, joint-most golden boots and most number of playoff appearances (8 in total) in the history of the league.
In 2020, FC Goa 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 2021 Durand Cup and the 2023-24 Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy.
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 second consecutive year now, highlighting their continued success at every level.
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