FC Goa’s AFC Champions League knockout hopes took a massive blow last night as they were beaten 4-0 by Persepolis. Juan Ferrando’s side is hanging in the competition by a thread and could be eliminated on the next matchday.
Goa went into the game against Persepolis needing a win. The Indian Super League outfit had fallen behind in the group stage following a loss against the Iranian giants in the reverse fixture. Meanwhile, two draws from their first two matches meant that the ISL side had only two points from three matches before their latest match.
Ferrando’s team did put up a challenge for twenty minutes before the floodgates opened. Persepolis went ahead in the 24th minute through Shahriyar Moghanlou before Mehdi Torabi put them two up before half-time. Any hopes of a second-half comeback from FC Goa were squashed when Persepolis went three up. Issa Alekasir scored his side’s third goal of the match barely two minutes after the restart.
Goa’s humiliation was complete in the 58th minute when Kamal Kamyabinia put Persepolis 4-0 up on the night. The scoreline would stay the same until the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the match. Due to the defeat, Goa fell further behind second-placed Al Wahda. The Emirati club won a hotly contested encounter against Laurent Blanc’s Al Rayyan 1-0. Both sides had men sent off on the night. Meanwhile, Omar Khribin scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot.
Al Wahda moved to seven points thanks to their win over Al Rayyan, thereby opening up a five-point lead over FC Goa. Persepolis, meanwhile, consolidated their position at the top of the group. The Iranian side is the favourites to qualify for the next round automatically, as they are currently five points clear on top.
FC Goa need to defeat both Al Wahda and Al Rayya if they want to give them a chance to qualify for the next round. The ISL side may face qualification even then due to the change in the competition’s format.
