Ritabrata Banerjee 12:56 PM IST 20/04/21 The Indian Super League side have created history in their first ever AFC Champions League campaign
FC Goa have taken the AFC Champions League (ACL) by storm as the Indian Super League (ISL) side have scripted history after just their first two matches in their maiden campaign in the competition.
What is the record?
Juan Ferrando s FC Goa are the first team in the history of the AFC Champions League to register back-to-back draws in their first two matches of the competition. The Indian side, who are placed in the Group E of the ACL, began their debut campaign with a goalless draw against Qatar Stars League side Al-Rayyan and then repeated the result in their second match against UAE s Al Wahda.
It may be noted that FC Goa were denied a clear penalty in the 76th minute of their clash against Al-Rayyan and besides the heroics of the Goan defence that included vital saves from goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, Brandon was unfortunate to see his shot come off the upright against Al Wahda. When I got into that situation, all I thought about was to place the ball in the corner but unfortunately it hit the post. I strongly wished it went in, the 26-year-old spoke of the missed opportunity on Saturday.
No backing down
Currently second in the group behind Persepolis who have won both their games against Al Wahda (1-0) and Al-Rayyan (3-1), Goa face their ultimate test against the Iranian champions on Tuesday. Brandon feels that FC Goa s strength lies in the style of play that coach Juan Ferrando has instilled.
Goal.
Murgaonkar had fetched Salgaocar a transfer fee of INR 10 lakhs. He scored once in his debut Indian Super League (ISL) season with Goa as he saved his side s blushes in a 1-1 draw against East Bengal and before that, nine goals for Salgaocar in the Goa Pro League that was discontinued due to the Coronavirus pandemic last season.
Surprised, Murgaonkar?
Murgaonkar particularly had an impressive performance in the tie against Al Wahda on Saturday wherein he nearly contributed to a goal in his first minute on the pitch. He also displayed composure when it came to bringing the ball into the final third.
Of course, it s our dream to win the (Asian) Champions League but this is not possible (right now) because it s very difficult. Our target is to take this game by game. Now, our focus is on Persepolis. We know that we will play against a very good team. Everybody knows what happened in the last Champions League, the Goa coach referred to the Iranian outfit finishing runners up in the 2020 ACL.
How to counter Persepolis? All the games are very important. Now, the most important game is against Persepolis but we need to think week by week. This is the most important competition. The players need experience and work hard on their psychology.