FC Goa will look to author another glorious page in their history book when they take on Chennaiyin FC on Saturday at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao. A 4-1 defeat at the Marina Arena has left the Gaurs with an uphill task of overturning the tie in their favour.
However, with the return of Brandon Fernandes, Edu Bedia and Hugo Boumous, the Gaurs will be in high spirits heading into the second leg on their home turf.
With all to play for in Goa, here are 10 things you need to know before the game:
2 – Only two teams have overturned first-leg deficits in ISL history. FC Goa was the first one to do so in 2015 – when they turned the tie around with a 2-0 win at home in the semi-finals that season against Delhi Dynamos after having fallen 0-1 at the capital.
5 – Jackichand Singh’s haul of 5 goals in the ISL is the second-highest for an Indian this season. It is also the winger’s best season in the ISL in terms of goals.
6 – Chennaiyin’s win over FC Goa in the first leg of the semi-final was the first time the Machans were able to come out victorious against the Gaurs in 6 games. Their previous win over Goa had come in the second leg of the semi-final of the 2017/18 season.
7 – A victory in the second leg of the semi-final against Chennaiyin will mark a record straight 7 victories for the Gaurs on home soil. Ever since their loss to Jamshedpur, FC Goa has gone on to record triumphs over ATK, Odisha, NorthEast United, Kerala Blasters, Hyderabad FC and Mumbai City FC.
16 – Saviour Gama’s goal late on in the game was FC Goa’s 16th goal in the campaign after the 75th minute of a game. The Gaurs have made it a habit to score late and it would be foolhardy to think that the league-toppers are out of the tie at any moment of the game.
22 – FC Goa’s tally of 22 points from their 9 home games is the best ever home record for any ISL side. The only two games in which they dropped points were a 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC and 0-1 loss to Jamshedpur. That loss to the Steelmen remains their last points dropped at home.
56 – After his game against Jamshedpur FC, Hugo Boumous now tallies a goal contribution every 56 minutes of the game. No one else in the ISL has a goal contribution rate below 70 minutes.
99 – It has been 99 days since the Gaurs were not able to score a minimum of 3 goals in a home fixture. They have done so in all of their last 6 games at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda and have, in fact, scored 3 or more in 7 of their 9 home fixtures. The side averages 2.9 goals per home game.
100 – The second leg of the semi-final will be Mandar Rao Dessai’s 100th game for FC Goa in all competitions. Associated with the club since the first season, the skipper will be the first player to reach the feat for the club.485 – FC Goa’s 4-1 loss to Chennaiyin FC was the first time the Gaurs conceded 4 goals in 485 days (in which they played 38 games). That game was away against Jamshedpur FC on 1st November, 2018.