FC Goa triumphed over Bengaluru FC 3-0 at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season.
A second-half flourish from Manolo Marquez’s men saw Bengaluru FC taste defeat for the first time in the ongoing season.
Armando Sadiku was once again the protagonist with a goal and an assist, while the likes of Brison Fernandes and Dejan Drazic also joined the party for the Gaurs.
The set up
Goa’s lineup was strong from the start.
With Sandesh Jhingan returning, this was likely the closest to an ideal lineup they could have gone with, apart from the absence of an experienced keeper and the surprise addition of Ayush Chettri, who became a key piece of Manolo’s tactical game against the Blues.
Manolo’s idea was to suffocate Bengaluru, especially after how Kerala Blasters’ intensity seemed to rock Bengaluru in their last game.
It made sense not to hold back against BFC and go all out.
To beat a stubborn defense that just refuses to concede, relentlessness was the best answer.
The core idea was to strangle BFC’s build-up from entering into their incredible midfielders like Pedro Capo and Alberto Noguera, who can manipulate the spaces in a matter of seconds.
They are the engine of Zaragoza’s machine, and Manolo chucked a spanner in it.
Relentless Press Shuts Down Bengaluru’s Build-Up Play
The press was targeted to cut off central progression.
BFC tends to build up by forming a back three, which allows Roshan to push high up-field almost like a left-winger.
Bengaluru, in previous games, played this pattern of building up in a 3-2 circuit to then release their efficient forward line into great areas of the pitch.
Goa’s counter was to jump on any pass that could find their midfielders, almost shadowing them from receiving balls.
Goa’s press suffocating BFC’s build-up
The Gaurs’ midfielders were keen to jump onto their counterparts (BFC’s midfielders) at every chance the ball could reach them.
The return of Jhingan and Odei at the back, coupled with the lack of Suresh Singh’s tenacity in midfield, greatly reduced Bengaluru’s ball retention and favored Goa’s idea of relentless pressure.
As a consequence, the front line suffered. In the first 45 minutes, Bengaluru managed just three open-play passes into the Goan defensive third.
In comparison, Goa had played a pass into their attacking third 16 times by then.
Bengaluru managed just one shot on target the entire game and just had a total of five touches in the Goan box by the end of ninety minutes.
Following Jovanovic’s injury in the second half, Zaragoza decided to drop Capo into the backline to aid in build-up.
But Goa continued to push and broke through. All three Goan goals came off ball retentions that Goa made in Bengaluru’s half.
While the first was a classic example of how Manolo’s idea to strangle Noguera with his pivots worked, the second was Gurpreet’s lackadaisical nature being punished by Sadiku and Brison.
The third was an interception made by Drazic, who played a one-two and then finished it off in style. 3-0 was the score, with all goals coming from sequences pick-pocketed right from Bengaluru’s control.
Sequence that led to the first Goan goal; again exemplifying the Goan press
Although there’s a sweet irony about this FC Goa win.
The Goan title charge last year began to crumble when they lost Sandesh Jhingan, a key member in the duo that built their stern defensive wall then, to injury.
Bengaluru FC were seemingly unbreachable and impenetrable, just like Goa were then.
But then the Blues lost their foothold, yet again due to an injury to a center-back who has been crucial in BFC’s backline.
It’s almost poetic that the chance to maul into BFC at the first smell of blood fell to Goa themselves.
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