Goa : A very depleted FC Goa side took to the field and were beaten 0-2 by Al Wahda in their final AFC Champions League match tonight at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa. Due to the concerning COVID-19 situation, FC Goa were without the services of all their foreign players as well as head coach Juan Ferrando.
The failure meant that the Gaurs finished third in Group E in their maiden appearance in the tournament thanks to three points owing to three draws.
A few snaps from our final #ACL2021 game against Al Wahda! 📸#RiseAgain #GOAWAH #FCGoaInAsia pic.twitter.com/Io6BxxLuYF
— FC Goa (@FCGoaOfficial) April 30, 2021
The foreign contingent were all forced to leave for their native Spain abruptly, which saw eleven Indian players take the pitch, which is a first for AFC Champions League history. It was a great opportunity for all the players involved, as the opening whistle blew, it became very clear that the team was more than willing to put up a real fight.
Al Wahda, came into the game with three successive wins and were full of confidence, they bombarded the Goan penalty area with bodies in the first half, leading to a host of decent chances.
Lucas Pimenta fashioned the first really clear threat just short of the 15-minute mark following a corner, but his tame effort was easy for Dheeraj Singh to deal with.
Omar Khribin was growing into the game, and he managed two good chances back to back. First in the 26th minute, his effort just went wide off his left boot, and then with a well timed header just three minutes later, he created another opportunity that needed to be saved by a diving Dheeraj Singh in the FC Goa goal.
Tim Matavz was the main man up front for most of match for the Emiratis, and he had a good chance of his own just after the half hour mark, but despite finding himself one-on-one with Dheeraj, the striker fired his shot and it went over the bar.
The Gaurs also managed one decent chance of their own in the first half, which came following a free kick that was only partially dealt with by Mohamed Al Shamsi. The follow up shot fell to Glan Martins, but Al Shamsi was sharp enough to block the effort from the all-action midfielder. Goa kept out the visitors for the rest of the opening half with some dogged defending in their own penalty area, and knew they were in for struggle in the upcoming half.
More of the same came the home side’s way once the second half began, but it was Dheeraj who proved to be the difference between the two sides. The talented goalkeeper first denied Khalil Ibrahim on 49 minutes from point blank range, and then made perhaps the best save of the tournament yet just a few minutes later.
Omar Khribin was played in and found himself in a one-on-one with on-rushing Dheeraj, and as the Syrian tried to chip the keeper, Dheeraj clawed the ball away with a brilliant right hand to deny him the opener
Although Khribin did have the last laugh, as he got his goal in the 61st minute of the game. The forward was found inside the penalty area by Tim Matavz, and this time he smashed the ball home to make it 0-1 to Al Wahda.
Despite a stiff resistance posed by the Gaurs the rest of the way, Al Wahda got their second goal on 90 minutes as captain Mohammed Barqesh Almenhali made the Gaurs pay for a mistake in possession, his shot deflected of Adil Khan and found the back of the net.
FC Goa, finished with 3 points after three fighting draws, and crucially finished third, avoiding the wooden spoon in the group which went to Al Rayyan.
The AFC Champions League was a memorable journey for FC Goa in the end, and this was an lifetime opportunity for some youngsters to play in the biggest continental competition in Asia, with a performance that proved the Men in Orange can hold their own among the elite.
