PANAJI: Indian football was left in a state of shock after Gujarat knocked out Goa at the qualifying stage of the national football championship for the Santosh Trophy in Bhavnagar on Sunday Needing only a draw to qualify from west zone (Group A), five-time champions Goa lost 1-0 against Gujarat, one of the worst results since the state made its Santosh Trophy debut in 1964.
Goa, which has football as its state sport and has five players representing the Indian team, lost to a bunch of amateurs, many of them government employees. Gujarat, which qualified for the first time, has never had a single player either in top tier or the second division, I-League.
“We conceded an unexpected goal that gave no chance to the goalkeeper or defenders,” said Goa coach Anthony Pereira. “Overall, the team enjoyed ball possession and played well, but Gujarat defended throughout.”
‘Gujarat crowded their defence, left no space’
After two wins against Daman & Diu (2-0) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli (5-0), Goa needed only a draw in their final league clash to qualify as one of the group toppers from west zone.
However, the hosts—who had drawn goalless against Dadra & Nagar Haveli—scored at the half an hour mark and then defended in numbers.
Goa did have six to seven chances, but poor finishing let them down.
“Gujarat just crowded their defence after the goal and there was no space whatsoever. The ground conditions were not ideal either, but that is not an excuse. We should have done better,” said Pereira.
The Santosh Trophy now has a new format. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has drawn five zones – north, south, east, west and northeast – and each zone has two groups, the winner of which qualifies for the 10-team final round.
Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh comprise west zone’s group B.
Goa last won the famous tournament in 2009 when they got the better of Bengal in the penalty shoot-out in Chennai.
Players from ISL and ILeague are not allowed to participate in the Santosh Trophy. The Goa squad comprised players who do duty for clubs in the Goa Professional League, launched more than two decades ago.
Goa last made it to the final in 2016-17 when they lost against Bengal at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. The wait to add to the five national titles continues, but Goa’s failure to even qualify from a group that had three minnows and amateur footballers should be a matter of concern.
