Kolkata: Table-toppers Bengaluru faced just a goal short of scripting what could have been probably the best comeback in Indian football over the ages. Playing their first match away from home the ISL debutants nearly stole a point, before going down 3-4 to a wonderful hat-trick from Ferran Corominas that steered FC Goa to their first home win in the fourth edition of the Indian Super League.
With both sides having a strong Catalan link among themselves, and tiki-taka brand of football, tactics was Sergio Lobera’s master-class in a goal splash, that saw Goa score three in the space of 40 minutes. Both the sides produced a game that was by far the best game of the season, which had everything from goal and hat-trick to red card and penalty.
The match had just began when Goa nearly went ahead, but Mandar Rao Dessai failed to put a foot forward into a Manuel Lanzarote pass. Nonetheless, the home team went ahead in the 16th minute when Coro dribbled past two Bengaluru defenders before placing his shot into the left-botom corner sending the JLN into frenzy.
Their joy was however short-lived as Bengaluru equalised five minutes later with Miku firing one through Kattimani’s legs in the 22nd minute. The Indian way of tiki-taka was at it’s best as Udanta Singh, Lenny Rodrigues and Erik Paartalu exchanged quick passes before the Australian found Miku with a wonderful chip, who made it 1-1.
It was only the 33rd minute but the match sparked to life when Coro netted his second of the match. A Lanzarote corner was brought low by Pinheiro, which the Spaniard steered home to make it 2-1 for FC Goa. The match however took a wicked turn when Bengaluru custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was send off three minutes later following an off the ball incident with the hat-trick hero, as the referee pointed to the spot. Lanzarote stood up and scored, giving Goa a two goal cushion as the first half drew to an end.
3-1 and a man down in the first 45 minutes, Bengaluru came out roaring into the second-half and scored twice within the first 15 minutes. Always threatening during the set-pieces, Eric Paartalu pulled one back from a corner before Miku who had a brilliant night equalised for the second time rounding of two defenders and custodian Kattimani to make it 3-3 in the 60th minute. It almost seemed that the away side may run away with atleast a point if not three but Coro made sure it was Goa who walked home with a win, with a vital goal in the 63rd minute, skipping past Juanan and substitute goalie Abhra to score this ISL’s first hat-trick.
It was also Corominas’ first hat-trick in India and now the Spaniard already has four goals and may well be on course to set the ISL on fire this season.