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FC Goa in the group stage of ACL Two
FC Goa triumphed over the Omani team Al Seeb with a score of 2-1 in the AFC Champions League Two qualifiers, earning a spot in the group stage of the tournament. Mohun Bagan, the previous season’s League Shield champion, had already secured their place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two. Now, FC Goa has also made it to the main round of the AFC Champions League Two. They qualified for the qualifiers after clinching the Super Cup in the last season. Had FC Goa lost in this qualifier, they would have had to play in the AFC Challenge League, a similar situation to East Bengal’s in the previous season. Al Seeb, who emerged as champions of the Oman Professional League for the 2024-25 season, faced FC Goa in the qualifiers held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
Key moments of the qualifier match
FC Goa’s coach Manolo Marquez fielded six foreign players in his starting lineup: Pol Moreno, David Timor, Borja Herrera, Dejan Drazic, Iker Guarrotxena, and Javier Siverio.
The first goal of the match came for FC Goa in the 24th minute of the first half, scored by Dejan Drazic. As the Al Seeb goalkeeper ventured out of the penalty area to clear the ball, Drazic skillfully passed it over him and then delicately chipped it over an Al Seeb defender before pushing it into the net.
A contentious moment occurred towards the end of the first half, specifically in the 43rd minute. During an Al Seeb offensive, the ball struck Dejan Drazic’s hands. It appeared that the incident might have transpired within the box, but rather than a penalty kick, a free kick was awarded to Al Seeb just outside the penalty box.
Shortly after the second half commenced, FC Goa extended their lead in the 52nd minute when Javier Siverio scored with a header from a cross by Borja Herrera.
Al Seeb managed to equalize in the 60th minute, with Alrawahi scoring with a touch from Albusaidi’s cross inside the penalty box.
Although Al Seeb had greater control of the game, they could not find the back of the net again.
Ultimately, FC Goa clinched a 2-1 victory over Al Seeb, becoming the second Indian club, following Mohun Bagan, to progress to the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
I have uploaded a video on YouTube in Bengali related to the topic discussed in this blog, and you can find the link to that video here: