PANAJI
FC Goa secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Kerala Blasters FC at Duler Stadium on Monday, booking their spot in the semi-finals of the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy. Kerala Blasters finished second in the Group ahead of Dempo SC who defeated Panjim 4-1, due to their superior goal-difference.
Despite conceding an early goal from Muhammed Nisham, FC Goa battled back with a dominant performance. Lalthangliana emerged as the hero for the Goan side, scoring a hat-trick to lead them to victory.
Kerala Blasters started strong, taking the lead through a Nisham curler after a well-placed through ball by Aritra Das. FC Goa nearly equalized with a Lemmet Tangvah shot, but the Kerala custodian made a crucial save.
The tide turned just before halftime. Deeshank Kunkalikar's long ball found Mallikjan Kalegar, who set up Lalthangliana for a cool finish. Minutes later, Lalthangliana converted a penalty after a foul on Malsawmtluanga to give FC Goa the lead heading into the break.
FC Goa extended their dominance in the second half. Sitroy Carvalho tapped in a rebound from a corner, and Lalthangliana completed his hat-trick with a powerful strike.
Kerala Blasters refused to surrender. Nisham pulled one back with a tap-in from a Thingujam Singh pass, but Deeshank Kunkalikar restored the three-goal advantage with a header from a Malsawmtluanga corner.
A late goal from Sreekuttan offered a glimmer of hope for Kerala Blasters, but time ran out as FC Goa secured a hard-fought victory. The Goan side finished top of Group B with seven points from three matches, while Kerala Blasters secured the runners-up spot with four points.
In the second match, Dempo SC edged past Panjim Footballers 4-1 in a hard-fought battle. They dominated possession in the first half but were frustrated by the woodwork and a Panjim goal from Rio Fernandes. The tide turned in the second half as Meven Dias netted a brace and Asmon Viegas chipped in with two goals. Dempo missed a penalty but Sairon Albuquerque redeemed himself with a late goal to seal the win. Panjim's Tejbahadur Thapa was sent off for a second yellow card in the closing stages.
