High flying Bengaluru FC suffered its first defeat of the season, against FC Goa after striker Ferran Corominas scored a hat-trick on Thursday.
The talking point of the game, however, was a red card shown to Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the 36th minute, which left the Bengaluru side playing the entire second half with 10 men.
With the game poised evenly at 2-1 just before half-time, the turning point came when keeper Gurpreet was given his marching orders by the referee for retaliating against FC Goa’s Manuel Lanzarote in the penalty box. In a sudden rush of blood, Gurpreet shoved and pushed Manuel, taking him down and earned himself a red card.
Fans at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa were treated to a goal-fest || Photograph Courtesy: ISL Facebook page
The subsequent penalty was converted by Lanzarote leaving Bengaluru 3-1 down at half-time, and having to play the rest of the game with 10 men.
The Blues however made a spirited comeback to level the score at 3-3 in the second half with goals from Erik Paartalu and Miku, his second of the night. But, the night belonged to FC Goa’s Ferran Corominas, who completed his hat-trick to score the winner in the 63rd minute.
Earlier, Corominas opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Bengaluru FC equalised through Miku. Corominas’ second goal, coming from a smart finish after a set-piece, saw FC Goa retake the lead.
With the score 3-1 at half-time and Bengaluru FC down to 10 men, few could have predicted the turn of events in the second half. The visiting team flew out of the blocks on resumption of play. Sunil Chhetri’s shot tested the FC Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani, who managed to parry it away his fingertips. From the resulting corner, Erik Paartalu rose high to score his third header of the season and keep Bengaluru FC in the match.
Erik Partaalu's third goal of the season gave Bengaluru FC hope in the second half || Photograph Courtesy: Bengaluru FC Facebook page
Spanish striker Miku then wriggled his way into the penalty area and chipped the keeper to send Bengaluru FC fans into raptures as the scores became level again. But their joy was short-lived as Corominas ran clear and went round the keeper Abhra Mondal, to seal the game for the Goan side.
After two straight wins at home, this was Bengaluru FC’s first defeat in the league. They next face North East United in an away game on December 8, with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu suspended for the game.