Kolkata, March 5: East Bengal FC and FC Goa played out a goalless draw in their Indian Super League encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, with both sides creating chances but failing to find the finishing touch.
The Gaurs showed early attacking intent. In the 13th minute, Akash Sangwan delivered a ball from the left towards Ishan Pandita, but Anwar Ali reacted quickly to intercept and clear the threat, conceding a corner to Goa.
East Bengal came close to breaking the deadlock In the 27th minute, Bipin Singh sent in a cross from the left side of the box which reached Ezzejjari, but his effort went over the crossbar, a promising opportunity that could have broken the deadlock.
Goa threatened again in the 35th minute through Boris Singh, who made a strong run from the right and cut the ball back inside the box. Brison Fernandes received it, turned and attempted a shot on goal, but Gill produced a fine save to keep the scores level.
The second half struggled to find rhythm, though chances continued to appear for East Bengal in the other side FC Goa came to defense. However In the 76th minute, Goa launched a dangerous move with an impressive run from substitute Abdul Rabeeh. He placed the ball to substitute Raynier Fernandes inside the box from the right, but Raynier’s shot closely missed the target.
East Bengal had another chance in the 87th minute when Bipin cut inside from the right and attempted a curling shot, but the shot went wide. Deep into stoppage time, in the 90+2 minute, Rashid managed the ball in the final third and got stopped which gave the Red and Gold a freekick, in a dangerous position. Seemed final opportunity for the Red and Gold Brigade to snatch all the points, but they could not capitalise.
The second half largely turned into an unrhythmic contest with broken passages of play. East Bengal created several opportunities but failed to convert, while Goa held firm defensively to secure a point.
Following the goalless draw against FC Goa, Oscar Bruzon reflected the draw against one of the league’s top sides is still a positive outcome. With tough fixtures ahead, the importance of staying competitive and continuing to collect points, is the focus now.
“In the last two matches we lost five points and in the previous two matches we earned six points. So we play now with two tough rivals and probably now we are going to play with Kerala Blasters and Mohamedan. So their room to draw points is going to be worse. It’s a good point. It’s a good point against Goa. Goa is a top team, besides they don’t have the same number of foreigners as us, but their local players are working together for many years. So I consider that the point of today is good.” said Oscar.
Manolo Marqeuz praised the competitive effort shown by both teams. He acknowledged that the game had balanced phases, with each side creating moments of danger during the contest. Despite facing late pressure, he expressed satisfaction with how his players performed and competed throughout the match.
“I think it was a very equal game, with some moments like this, some moments for East Bengal, some moments for FC Goa. But it’s true that they have very good players and we suffered also, especially in the last moments, with crosses, shoots, second actions. But I am very, very satisfied with the performance of our team because I think that we competed very well” said Manolo.
ISL 2025-26: East Bengal FC vs FC Goa Highlights
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