Football: FC Goa Secure AFC Champions League Two Qualification
FC Goa Outclass Jamshedpur in Super Cup Final
FC Goa have ended the 2024-25 Indian Super League season in fine style, as they romped to a commanding 3-0 victory over league rivals Jamshedpur FC in the Kalinga Super Cup final in Bhubaneswar on Saturday afternoon.
The Gaurs came into the grand finale as the favourites according to all the best online betting sites, owing to their incredible form in the preceding rounds, having beaten Gokulam Kerala, Punjab FC and ISL Shield and Cup winners Mohun Bagan.
Additionally, the Goans were the highest scoring team in the competition, netting eight goals ahead of their showdown with the Red Miners, and they continued their impressive attacking form in the final by adding another three goals to their tally.
Monolo Marquez’s side started the game firmly on the front foot and took a lead into the halftime interval after Borja Gonzalez struck the back of the net in the 23rd minute before doubling his tally for the afternoon early in the second period to end the competition as the joint top-scorer with four goals to his name.
Dejan Drazic took the team out of sight in the 72nd minute with their third of the afternoon, and they saw out the win to become the first-ever side to lift the Super Cup title for a second time, having also done so in 2019.
Winning the Indian Super Cup also earns Goa entry into the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) Playoffs, marking their return to the continental stage for the first time in four years!
Despite the rain pouring down at the Kalinga Stadium, the Gaurs' celebrations continued well into the evening, while Khalid Jamil’s Men of Steel were left to reflect on what could have been, and will now have to wait another year for a chance at the title.
Marquez Signs Off As Goa Head Coach In Style
Goa’s Super Cup victory was made all the more special, as it was the final act of head coach Manolo Marquez, who will depart the club in the coming days. Marquez is set to take up the full-time role as India’s national team coach for the foreseeable future.
The outgoing Goa boss led the team to second place in the ISL regular season before a disappointing ISL Cup campaign, where they were eliminated in their first round. Following their Super Cup triumph, he said:
“It has been a great tournament for us. We have a fantastic group of players, and they completely deserve to be the champions. When we arrived here, we knew that we needed to win four games. And we did it.”
Marquez also urged the club to keep hold of its players for next season, explaining that the need for continuity is extremely important in Indian football, especially if a team wants to make its mark on the continental stage.
