It has happened. FC Goa
is on top of the Indian football map. Next stop Asia. It is the first team from the country to
qualify for the group stage of the Asian Football Championship, the continents
top-tier club competition. This was achieved after beating Jamshedpur FC 5-0 in
the league match. They are needless to say on top of the league too. The fans
of the club are literally over the moon. The proverbial “12th man” in the
stadium, for the last away game in Jamshedpur, the fans from Goa, numbered just
17 but they supported their team with passion and verve. Fans were present from
Goa as well as from Doha.
For Roysten Moraes a native of Velim it was a dream come true as
he flew from Doha to New Delhi and then Ranchi. He said “I travelled all the
way to watch 90 minutes of magic by my team. I am a proud member of the Gaur
army and it was delightful to be part of a historical night for the team and
us. When the players joined us to celebrate the victory with dance and music
with their 12th man, it could not have been more special for me”.
From Goa to Jamshedpur, the journey was approximately 2000 kms and
the fans travelled by train. Siddharth Mehta, Co-founder of the Gaur Army said
“Travelling 2000kms to Jamshedpur was a worth the visit as our Dream of Asia came
true. Gaur Army, the 12 th Man of FC Goa has always stood with the team no
matter the distance or place and I’m proud that we are the only ones from GOA
to have successfully completed 9/9 away games in large numbers for the second
consecutive year. The love of players and coaching staff is the real Uzzo. To
our surprise even the team was staying in the same star hotel as we were
staying in and we could live the special moments of history together. Post win we had the cake cutting, the
drummers playing music and the bottle of champagne opened by Lenny Rodrigues.
Hugo Boumos and Captain Mandar Rao Desai coming and hugging the fans gave me
goose bumps. As a 12 th man these moments mean so much to me and I’m proud to
be a Fc GOA fan. I truly missed Sergio Lobera in Jamshedpur as it would have
been even more exciting had he been with us”.
The fact the team would now be playing in Asia has already whetted
the appetite of the fans. Estherann Cardozo a teacher from Calangute who was in
Jamshedpur said “I was in tears when my team won on the opposition’s home
ground. I had goose bumps when the referee blew the final whistle. I will now
have to renew my passport and can’t wait to fly abroad to back the team”. She
said the performance of the interim coach Clifford Miranda and Virender Singh
had to be commended because they had taken responsibility of the team in
circumstances that were not ideal. The team had scored a lot many goals and
they had now ensured the next stop would be Asia.
A footballer was also present in the group. Kane Barreto felt it
was historic that the team was now going to compete in Asia. He said “This is
an historic moment for Indian football. No doubt ex-CoachLobera will be missed
but I’m happy that Fc Goa interim Coach Clifford Miranda and the Gaurs have
continued his style of play. I’m very positive that Fc Goa now lifts the Indian
Super league title and make us all proud. I’m sure the Club will dedicate the
win to Sergio Lobera for his hard work over the three years he spent with the
team.”
The contribution of players like Manu, Tato and Hugo were not
forgotten. The character of the team was commended. Sayonara Fernandes from
Candolim for whom it was it was her first trip to Jamshedpur the win made it
memorable. She said these players shaped the way the team played and credit had
to also go to the former coach Lobera who had coached this team for three
years.
The general feeling was that everyone in the team had pulled their
weight from the goalkeeper Mohammad Nawas who kept a clean sheet and ensured
there were no tremors. The title now had to be won which many felt could be
done. This would then mean fighting on a different pitch against intense
competition and ensuring the name of Goa and India would shine through.
