Al Nassr secured their third consecutive victory in the AFC Champions League Two, defeating FC Goa 2-1 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. Despite missing star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi Arabian side claimed all three points thanks to goals from Angelo Damaceno and Haroune Camara. Brison Fernandes scored a consolation goal for FC Goa, who remain pointless at the bottom of Group D.
Al Nassr started strongly, dominating possession and pinning FC Goa back. The breakthrough came in the 10th minute when Abdulrahman Ghareeb found Angelo Damaceno, who curled a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner. The visitors doubled their lead in the 27th minute following a defensive lapse from Goa. Angelo slid a pass to Aiman Yahya, whose lob found Haroune Camara, who controlled the ball amidst defenders and scored on the turn.
Despite the early setback and losing forward Javier Siverio to injury, FC Goa fought back, spurred on by the home crowd. Substitute Brison Fernandes, a local player, brought Goa back into the game in the 41st minute. Receiving a pass from Dejan Drazic, Brison cut inside past a defender and curled a precise shot into the far corner, marking FC Goa's first goal in the competition.
The second half saw Al Nassr continue to control the ball, with coach Jorge Jesus introducing star players Sadio Mane and Joao Felix in the 66th minute. Goa had a chance shortly after when Boris Singh Thangjam was through on goal, but the attempt was ruled offside and saved by Al Nassr keeper Bento. Goa's defense, led by Sandesh Jhingan, held firm against further attacks, but their efforts were marred late on when David Timor received a straight red card in stoppage time for kicking the ball towards an assistant referee in frustration.
Post-match, Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus spoke of Goa's resilience: “We won against a team which refused to lose.” He noted Al Nassr controlled "80% of the match" but achieved their objective of securing three points. FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez expressed pride in his team's performance despite the third straight loss. “After the goal that Brison scored, we were better… In terms of the performance of the team, as a coach, it’s difficult to be prouder than tonight,” Marquez said, also praising the "incredible" fan support.
