Borja Herrera’s Hat-Trick Secures FC Goa’s First Win in ISL 2024-25
Borja Herrera Shines with a Hat-Trick in ISL 2024-25 as FC Goa Triumphs 3-2 Over East Bengal.
The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024–25 season saw FC Goa win its first game, 3-2, over East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday. It was an exciting match. Borja Herrera was the game’s most impressive player, scoring a spectacular hat-trick to display his hitting ability and give the Gaurs a vital three points.
FC Goa defeated hosts East Bengal 3-2 in Kolkata on Friday, earning their first victory of the Indian Super League 2024–25 season thanks to a spectacular hat-trick from Borja Herrera. The visitors had a strong start to the match, making some key passes in the latter third of the pitch.
Early in the game, players like Dejan Drazic, Borja Herrera, and Boris Singh created opportunities. When East Bengal goalkeeper Debjit Majumder parried Drazic’s left-wing cross, their relentless attacks were soon rewarded.
But in the thirteenth minute, the errant ball found its way to Borja in space, and the Spaniard put it in the goal.
The Gaurs’ darting counterattacks continued to pose a threat to the East Bengal FC defense. In one such case, Hijazi Maher lost possession to Boris Singh on the right wing in a risky spot. In the twentieth minute, the youthful player produced a perfectly weighted cut-back to find Borja in the box, where he hammered the ball in once more to double the visitors’ lead. The squad led by Carles Cuadrat, though, responded skillfully with a few offensive movements.
Eventually, they created a gap when Red and Gold Brigade player Nim Dorja tripped Madih Talal in the penalty area, giving them a spot-kick and a chance to into the game.
In the 29th minute, Talal took a stride forward and calmly slotted it past Laxmikant Kattimani to restore parity.
East Bengal FC had a strong start to the second half with a few incisive attacks. But FC Goa’s combination of Drazic and Rowllin Borges allowed the Red and Gold defense to crack, and there was the genuine opening. However, the last attempt from the latter was wildly inaccurate. The Serbian attempted to score again from outside the box, but this time it was unsuccessful.
In the 71st minute, FC Goa restored their two-goal lead when Udanta Singh stole the ball from Hijazi and squared it to Borja in open space. With ease, the Spanish midfielder entered the penalty area and finished his hat-trick by hitting the back of the net.
When Carl McHugh was given a second yellow card in the 81st minute, the visitors found themselves in a difficult situation. When David Lalhlansanga got one goal back in the 85th minute after Kattimani parried a long-range attempt from Anwar Ali right on his way, East Bengal FC made full use of their numerical advantage.
In the closing minutes, East Bengal persisted in trying to tie the score, but FC Goa stayed strong and won all the points.
