Borja Herrera returned to haunt his former club, scoring a fine hat-trick to help a 10-man FC Goa beat East Bengal 3-2 and register its first win of Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Friday.
Madih Talal, who scored from a penalty, and substitute David Lalhlansanga were the goalscorers for East Bengal.
East Bengal faltered with its attacking game as FC Goa’s fluid transitions created trouble for the home defence. The Gaurs went up in the 13th minute when its Serbian winger Dejan Drazic chugged up the left flank to fire a low cross inside the East Bengal box. Red and Gold goalkeeper Debjit Majumder intercepted the pass but sent his punch straight to Borja, who collected the rebound and fired home into an open net.
East Bengal centre-back Hijazi Maher’s defensive error helped Goa grab its second in the 21st minute. Boris Singh snatched the ball from the Jordan international and sent a cut-back to find Borja, who made no mistake with his placement into an open net.
AS IT HAPPENED: East Bengal vs FC Goa highlights
Carles Cuadrat’s men pulled one back in the 29th minute when Madih Talal earned a penalty and successfully converted from the spot.
Goa continued to pile up more attacks after the break and made it 3-1 in the 71st minute when Borja completed his hat-trick with a solo effort. The goal effectively sealed the match in favour of Goa, which went down to 10 men in the 81st minute when midfielder Carl McHugh got his marching orders after seeing his second yellow card.
East Bengal reduced the margin through substitute David Lalhlansanga in the 85th minute, but that was not enough to save the day for the home side, as it looks for its first points of the season.
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