Football: FC Goa clinch their maiden Super Cup

FC Goa finally managed to get a hand on a silverware after edging past Chennayin FC 2-1 in the final of the Hero Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening. Having lost two Indian Super League finals, one recently against Bengaluru FC, the Sergio Lobera led unit was third time lucky, the victory was a memorable one. In spite of having a better team and form on their side, Goa started on the back foot as the opponents managed to dominate terms in the first half of the game. Interestingly, this was the same Chennayin FC team which finished at the bottom of the league table in the ISL this season, credit to them for putting up a spirited display last night. After a goalless first half, it was FC Goa who took the lead by virtue of a Ferran Corominas strike in the 52nd minute. FC Goa managed to hold on to the lead just for a few moments as Raphael Augusto made it evens after his deflected shot found the back of the net. ‘Coro’ was once again in the thick of things as he provided a perfect ball to Brandon Fernandes in the 64th minute, who slotted inside the net to make it 2-1. Later, Jakichand Singh had the opportunity to finish the game but wasted it. Nonetheless, it was a great end to a very successful campaign for the ‘Gaurs.’ Sergio Lobera has done an exceptional job with the unit, it would have been unfair if they hadn’t won a trophy. It was Chennayin FC which denied FC Goa a maiden ISL trophy in 2015, but this time the tide turned the other way. Ferran Corominas, the star of the season for FC Goa was overjoyed after the win. He said, “Individual awards are nice but it is the team trophies that matter most. My dream still remains winning the ISL.”