Ever since the AFC Champions League Two group stage draw was conducted on 15 August, there was a buzz among Indian football fans as FC Goa were drawn alongside Saudi heavyweights Al Nassr in Group D.
Speculation began to circulate about whether Cristiano Ronaldo would indeed visit India, and although it ultimately didn’t happen, it was nonetheless a momentous occasion when a star-studded Al Nassr side, managed by former Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus, landed on the shores of the former Portuguese territory.
Struggles in domestic football
The timing of the match is significant when you take into account that the Indian men’s senior national team has been going through a dismal period.
The Blue Tigers have failed to win any competitive fixture at home since July 2023; two years, three months and counting.
They recently suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Singapore in Goa itself, which meant that they were officially eliminated from qualification for AFC Asian Cup 2027, the first time the nation will not be amongst the continent’s elite since 2015.
The scary part is that the problems do not end there. The nation’s top-tier league, the Indian Super League (ISL) has been on hold for months due to contractual issues between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the commercial partner of the league.
After several court proceedings, it has been reported that the new ISL season will kick off in December, but there is yet to be official confirmation on that.
And to make matters even worse, the reigning ISL champions Mohun Bagan SG were disqualified from ACL Two after failing to report for their away game in Iran against Sepahan, with this being the second successive season they have been thrown out of AFC competitions, meaning it could well impact India’s club coefficient rankings.
FC Goa put up a fight for the ages
It is under these circumstances that FC Goa took to the field against Saudi Pro League (SPL) giants Al Nassr and honestly, not much was expected of them.
In fact, this was just the Gaurs’ fourth competitive match in 70 days against a side playing week in week out in one of the world’s top leagues and boasting some of the most globally recognisable faces on this planet.
The atmosphere was top notch outside the Fatorda Stadium in the hours before kick-off, with vocal Goa fans gathering with chants and smoke sprays befitting the occasion.
On the field of play, the FC Goa players showed a lot of grit and determination despite conceding two early goals, but scored one of their own to make it 2-1 at the break.
Despite Jorge Jesus bringing on Sadio Mane and Joao Felix, the Goa rearguard marshalled by the likes of Sandesh Jhingan and Pol Moreno stood firm and they even threatened to score the equaliser a couple of times at the other end.
In the end, Goa left the pitch with their heads held high after a performance to be incredibly proud of.
Competing against elite teams
Matches against high quality opposition such as Al Nassr are a rarity in Indian football and it does hamper the footballing culture to a certain extent.
The last match of such a magnitude had taken place in November 2023, when Mumbai City FC hosted Al Hilal in Navi Mumbai, a game that the ISL side lost 2-0.
This time though, it was FC Goa’s turn and they put up a much better fight in front of a vociferous 14,389 crowd.
In 2020, while still playing for Liverpool, Mane in an interview with the Premier League had said that, “my dream is to come to India one day. I have seen a lot about the country on YouTube and I really like it…”
As fate would have it, five years later, the Senegalese superstar finally did arrive in India and he loved his experience, telling The Asian Game: “The atmosphere was great. I was surprised because I didn’t expect this (such a good crowd), so I’m really happy about that. I’ve come here (in India) today. I’ve seen this, it’s a new experience for me and the fans were amazing.”
And the 2022 Ballon d’Or runner up was joined by Felix, Kingsley Coman and Inigo Martinez in a Diwali night of football celebration.
The way forward
Despite the countless negatives surrounding Indian football in recent times, there are a handful of positives as well. Starting with FC Goa’s goalscorer against Al Nassr, Brison Fernandes, who became the first Indian player to score in ACL Two.
“Of course, I would have been much happier if my team would have won but very happy for me and my team,” said the local fan favourite.
“It’s all the team effort which we have put in and we will continue doing this. They (FC Goa fans) have always backed me. Whenever I need them, they are always there for me.”
It was a memorable moment for the 24-year-old scoring a brilliant goal at his home ground and there was more positive news the same week.
Eighteen-year-old midfielder Yohaan Benjamin became the first Indian to be selected for a UEFA Youth League squad, currently plying his trade for NK Bravo in Slovenia.
On the other hand, however, while the men’s national team is in limbo, the Indian women’s national teams are enjoying a period of incredible success having qualified for next year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup, AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup as well as AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup.
The Indian football faithful can now hope that such success is replicated across the men’s national teams as well, or else magical ACL Two nights like the one at the Fatorda will become a one-off that will fade into oblivion sooner rather than later.
