PANAJI
When FC Goa will face the winners of Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC in the semi-finals of Indian Super League (ISL) on 2 April 2025, it will be the eighth semi-final appearance for the Gaurs, a record for any team in ISL history.
Undoubtedly, FC Goa has been the most consistent side in ISL in last 11 seasons. Barring three seasons - 2016, 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Gaurs have reached the semi-finals of every single edition of ISL.
While the Gaurs did manage to reach the semi-finals on seven previous occasions, an ISL title has eluded them. The closet FC Goa came to winning an ISL Trophy was during 2015 and 2018-19 seasons. But, on both the occasions, the Gaurs faltered at the last hurdle to finish as runners-up.
Six different clubs - Atlético de Kolkata (3), Chennaiyin FC (2), Mumbai City FC (2), Mohun Bagan (1), Bengaluru FC (1), and Hyderabad FC (1) - have won an ISL Cup, but FC Goa is not among them.
However, the Gaurs will be ready to change things this time around. After all, it has been an exceptional league campaign for them wherein they finished second with 48 points, matching Mohun Bagan's Shield-winning tally from last season.
But, the journey to the semis had its own share of ups and downs. FC Goa started their ISL campaign this season on a bad note, suffering a shock home defeat to Jamshedpur FC in the opener. Then, the Gaurs went on to win just one of their next five games. To make matters worse, they kept dropping points from winning positions. No matter how well they played, they just couldn’t win.
The defence was really bad. The Gaurs conceded 12 goals in their first six matches. At this stage, a top-two finish looked like a distant dream.
The turnaround came from match number seven in which the Gaurs defeated Bengaluru FC 3–0 in a home game. The win gave the Gaurs a much need confidence to boost the morale of the side.
In fact, it was Sandesh Jhingan’s return from that match onwards that changed everything. With the experienced defender in the side, FC Goa suddenly looked like a completely different team. They stopped making silly mistakes in the defense, started controlling the games better, and turned into a team that knew how to win matches.
The results spoke for themselves. The Gaurs remained unbeaten for 12 games from November to January, winning eight of them. A stark contrast from the 12 goals the team had conceded in their first six games wherein it had won just one game.
Much of this credit for FC Goa’s dramatic turnaround goes to its head coach Manolo Marquez. All of a sudden, FC Goa weren’t just in the top-six; they were competing with Mohun Bagan SG for the League Shield.
As the league stage came to a close, FC Goa ended their league campaign with 48 points (14 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses) to finish second behind Mohun Bagan SG. Not only that, the Gaurs ended up with the fourth-highest goals scored (43), the second-fewest conceded (27), and most importantly, a direct ticket to the semi-finals.
A top-two finish meant FC Goa can skip the playoffs and head straight to the semi-finals. That’s means they get extra rest and preparation time while other teams battle it out.
The last time FC Goa had played an ISL final was six years ago in Mumbai, wherein it had lost to Bengaluru FC 1-0 in a closely fought encounter.
Now, the Gaurs are two games away from making history. Marquez’s side may have missed out on the Shield, but the ultimate prize of winning their first ISL Trophy is still within their reach.
