Sports & Allied News
GOA, January 27: Iker Guarrotxena's hat-trick and Brandon Fernandes' free-
kick goal powered FC Goa to a 4-2 victory over East Bengal FC in the Hero
Indian Super League (ISL) at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda,
Goa on Thursday.
Guarrotxena was the hero for the Gaurs' sixth home win of the season and
second in a row as the Spaniard scored what is now the third-fastest hat-trick
in the league's history to put the game to bed early in the first half. His first
goal came in the 11th minute, when he pounced on a loose ball in the box and
found the target, after Devendra Murgaoar's pass to Noah Sadaoui was
intercepted by an East Bengal defender.
He found the back of the net once again in the 21st minute. Sadaoui's pin-
pointed cross from the left found the Spaniard, whose headed attempt
deceived the goalkeeper as it bounced off the far post and into the net.
Two minutes later, the 30-year-old had his hat-trick. A corner-kick by Edu Bedia
was headed by Fares Arnaout into Sanson Pereira's path and the latter played
it forward, only for Guarrotxena to lob it into the goal past the keeper despite
being pulled back.
The FC Goa continued their dominance in the second half and their fourth goal
came in the 53rd minute, when Brandon Fernandes curled a free-kick from just
outside the opposition box, into the top right corner of the net.
Despite the four-goal deficit, East Bengal showed great resolve to continue
fighting, and were rewarded with back-to-back goals in the 59th and 66th
minute through VP Suhair and Sarthak Golui, respectively. The sudden shift in
momentum, however, served as a wake-up call of sorts for the Gaurs who
went on to dictate the latter stages of the game.
The rest of the game remained goalless, but FC Goa had done enough by then
to register their eighth win of the season. The victory also puts them in third
place on the league standings, with 26 points from 16 matches.
