Super Cup: FC Goa start on the front foot with Iker hat-trick against Gokulam Kerala
Panaji:
FC Goa
kickstarted their
Super Cup
campaign on a winning note with Iker Guarrotxena scoring a hat-trick in the 3-0 win against
Gokulam Kerala
FC at the Kalinga Stadium on Monday.
In a clash between the second-placed team in the top-tier Indian Super League (
ISL
) and the fourth-placed team in I-League, Goa were the favourites to sail through and they ensured it was smooth sailing from start to finish.
Guarrotxena (23' minute penalty, 35', 71') netted a superb hat-trick, with two goals in the first half and a third after the break.
From the outset, Goa controlled possession, dictated the tempo, and created multiple openings. In contrast, Gokulam Kerala struggled to find rhythm or match the pace and organisation of their opponents.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
15 Most Stunning Women of All Time
Paperela
Undo
The breakthrough arrived in the 23rd minute when Dejan Drazic was fouled inside the box by Salam Ranjan Singh, prompting the referee to point at the spot. Guarrotxena stepped up and sent Shibinraj Kunniyil the wrong way to give Goa the lead.
The second goal followed just 12 minutes later. Aakash Sangwan surged down the left flank and delivered a precise cross into the danger zone, where Guarrotxena timed his run to perfection and slotted home with ease, doubling the advantage before the interval.
Gokulam Kerala came out stronger in the second half, enjoying more possession and showing signs of a fightback. They struck the crossbar and looked more threatening going forward, but their resurgence was halted midway through the half.
In the 71st minute, Goa put the result beyond doubt with a slick passing move that culminated in Guarrotxena receiving a well-placed ball in the box. With admirable composure, the Spaniard completed his hat-trick, calmly guiding the ball past the keeper to make it 3-0.
From there on, Goa's defence, marshalled expertly, ensured no slip-ups as they comfortably saw out the match to seal their place in the last eight.
Coach Manolo Marquez handed Alan Saji the chance to prove himself late in the second half. The promising forward who has made a comeback from injury after seven months on the sidelines almost found the back of the net after being picked inside the box by Guarrotxena but his close-range effort was blocked by the defender.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
US Open: Carlos Alcaraz arrives in New York red-hot and ready to reclaim top ranking
Carlos Alcaraz heads to the U.S. Open in his now-familiar role as chief challenger to defending champion Jannik Sinner and the Spaniard will be driven this year by the twin pursuit of Grand Slam glory and the world number one ranking. The 22-year-old won a tour-leading sixth title of the season in Cincinnati on Monday after Sinner retired from the final with illness while trailing 0-5 in the opening set and the result has turned up the heat in the rankings race ahead of the season's final major. Health permitting, all signs point to the duo meeting again in a major final and completing a season-defining trilogy after Alcaraz beat Sinner in an epic five-setter to retain his French Open trophy in June before surrendering his Wimbledon crown to the top-ranked Italian last month. Although Alcaraz has excelled on grass and clay, hardcourt consistency has eluded him on the grandest stage following his 2022 U.S. Open triumph, but the five-times major champion is approaching the New York showpiece starting on Sunday with renewed belief. 'I'm feeling a lot of confidence, playing on a different surface,' said Alcaraz, whose U.S. Open triumph three years ago ensured that he became the youngest world number one since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973. 'New York is a place that I love playing in. It's where I got my first Grand Slam and I appreciate the love and support that I receive there every year that I go.' Having won five of the last seven events he has played in, the red-hot Alcaraz can reclaim the top ranking at the end of the U.S. Open fortnight by outperforming Sinner, who will be defending 2,000 points as the champion. A shock second-round defeat by Dutch outsider Botic van de Zandschulp last year means Alcaraz will defend 50 points but the Spaniard is determined to avoid another early defeat in his bid to split the majors with Sinner for a second straight year. 'It was disappointing, the level that I played there,' Alcaraz said of his 2024 campaign. 'So this year, I really want to show good tennis, my best tennis, and try to go as far as I can, enjoy as much as I can the love there. We'll see how it's going to be.' The Cincinnati champion has gone on to capture the U.S. Open trophy in the previous two years, with Novak Djokovic prevailing in 2023 before Sinner's success last time, and a philosophical Alcaraz is hoping to keep that run going. 'I'm accepting everything that's happening to me and trying to learn to be a better person and player from the experiences that I'm living in the last three to four months,' he said on the Tennis Channel. 'I'm doing great things that I'm really proud of, so I'm going to try and do the same things in New York.'
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Newbies Diamond Harbour FC shock East Bengal, in Durand final
Kolkata: Diamond Harbour FC (DHFC), remember the name. At a time when clubs in the Indian Super League (ISL) are saying they cannot continue, DHFC have shown that there is life beyond the top tier. A diamond that can be the third force from Bengal. Diamond Harbour FC and East Bengal in action in the Durand cup semi-final. (Durand Cup) 'We can be better but we cannot do more,' said coach Kibu Vicuna one day prior to the semi-final against East Bengal in the 134th Durand Cup. Even the Spaniard would have been surprised at how his team lived up his mantra. Now, defending champions NorthEast United, 1-0 winners against Shillong Lajong in Tuesday's semi-final, stand between them and a title in Asia's oldest, and the world's third oldest, tournament. Wednesday's 2-1 win against all odds ensured that. Forget being overawed in their first Durand Cup, forget being frightened by the reputation of their opponents who had convincingly beaten ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the quarter-final, or the fact that they had only two foreigners less than half of East Bengal. Forget even the fact that their supporters would, by an optimistic estimate, be in the hundreds among the 18,960 that fetched up with loud hailers on a midweek evening at Salt Lake stadium. DHFC absorbed the shock of letting in Anwar Ali's equaliser one minute after Mikel Kortazar's magnificent back-volley had them ahead, scored again from a melee through Jobby Justin and then held on as East Bengal threw the kitchen sink, nay the whole kitchen, at them. Miguel Ferreira thudded the framework, Mohamad Bashim dragged his shot wide, Dimitrios Diamantikos failed to keep a free header on target once in each half as did Kevin Sibille just before half-time. Kortazar produced a goalline save in first half stoppage time. And when all was lost, there was Koottappuna Mirshad about whom we will come to in a bit. Justin, whose career had grown at East Bengal, is getting a second wind at the club that was founded on April 15, 2022, also the Bengali New Year's Day. Vicuna's 4-3-3 formation hinged on the tracking back of his wide forwards and Justin and Halicharan Narzary did just that. That East Bengal were forced into taking off Edmund Lalrindika and Lalchungnunga, who was on a booking, add solidity in midfield by introducing Jeakson Singh and getting Bashim in hours after he had flown back from USA after his father's death, was proof of how effective DHFC were, especially in transitions. By half-time, Samuel Lalmuanpuia could have had a goal and an assist but his 23rd minute shot banged into the horizontal and his pass over Lalchungnunga was skied by Justin three minutes later. And now about Mirshad, also a former East Bengal player. The goalie was surprised by the vicious curl and power of Ali's shot from 40 yards but had saved one from the central defender in the 21st minute. He produced a double save in the move that had the Spaniard Kortazar, who put in a superb shift, clearing from the line. He also tipped over Sibille's header and a powerful drive from Singh. That was in the 56th minute. Soon after, Vicuna made a triple change and the substitute struggled to get into the rhythm of the match. It led to East Bengal asserting themselves but against the run of play, one of the substitutes, Girik Khosla won a free-kick. From distance, Paul Ramfangzuava swung the shot which Ali headed but only as far as Kortazar, the 26-year-old central defender from Ondarroa. As Prabhsukhan Gill went towards him, Kortazar back-volleyed into the bottom corner in the 66th minute. Barely had DHFC had done celebrating, that Ali's screamer levelled the issue in the 67th. DHFC organised themselves into a low block and kept repelling East Bengal. But when the opportunity arose, they would break into a counter-attack as Paul did, taking on a Justin pass and testing Gill. From the corner-kick, Luka Macjen kept the ball alive and Justin managed to stab home. He did not celebrate. Macjen thought he had settled it with another counter-attack, set going by Justin but Wahengbam Angousana, another substitute, was off-side. No problem. DHFC showed they had the steel to hold on. 'We are here to stay,' Vicuna had said on Tuesday. Tired of being asked about East Bengal at the per-match press conference, he had also said: 'We too are a good team.' A little over 24 hours later, the 53-year-old Spanish coach, who had won Mohun Bagan their last I-League in 2019-20, showed how right he was. In five years in India, he has yet to lose against East Bengal.
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
Marseille's Adrien Rabiot Up For Sale After 'Extremely Violent' Bust-Up In Dressing Room
Last Updated: Marseille had called the players' behaviour "unacceptable" in a brief club statement published on Tuesday. Marseille president Pablo Longoria announced on Wednesday that the club has decided to place star player Adrien Rabiot and English winger Jonathan Rowe on the transfer list due to an 'extremely violent" dressing room altercation. 'What happened was extremely serious and violent, something I've never encountered before," Longoria told AFP in an interview. 'We had to make a decision because what occurred went far beyond what is acceptable in a football club, as it would in any organisation." The incident took place following Friday's 1-0 defeat away to Rennes in their opening match of the French Ligue 1 season, a game Marseille lost to a stoppage-time goal after playing for an hour with an extra man. Marseille condemned the players' behaviour as 'unacceptable" in a brief club statement released on Tuesday. 'I wasn't in the dressing room, but the staff who were told me it was incredible, violent, aggressive, and went beyond any limits," said 39-year-old Spaniard Longoria, who has been Marseille president since 2021. The incident is a significant setback for the 1993 Champions League winners, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for Europe's elite club competition. 'Roberto De Zerbi has been coaching for 13 years, and (sporting director) Medhi Benatia has been in top-level football for 22 years. I started out in professional football 20 years ago," Longoria added. 'I think we all have enough experience to say we have never seen anything like it in a dressing room… Even in the worst punch-ups, there are rules. Not in this case." England Under-21 international winger Rowe spent last season on loan at OM from Norwich City, and that deal was made permanent in the summer. The 30-year-old Rabiot, who has 53 caps for France, joined Marseille at the beginning of last season as a free agent after leaving Juventus. He had an outstanding first campaign at the Velodrome, but Marseille have not succeeded in persuading the former PSG midfielder to extend a contract which will expire at the end of this season. However, Longoria insisted that the decision to put Rabiot up for sale was not related to his contractual situation. 'The decision was very clear. It protects the club as an institution and it protects our season going forward. It is not negotiable for me to be president of a club where there are no rules," Longoria added. 'Honestly, as a club, we are the victims in this situation. A fight like this is unheard of in the world of football." Marseille's second game of the Ligue 1 season will be at home to newly-promoted Paris FC on Saturday. First Published: August 20, 2025, 21:18 IST News sports Marseille's Adrien Rabiot Up For Sale After 'Extremely Violent' Bust-Up In Dressing Room Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
