Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy: FC Goa beats Brisbane Roar in, climbs to top of Group A

FC Goa secured a significant 1-0 victory over Australian A-League Men side Brisbane Roar FC in a fiercely contested match at the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy 2024 on Tuesday to send the side on top of the Group A table.

Albanian forward Armando Sadiku scored the solitary goal.

Earlier in the day, Head Coach Manolo Marquez named a strong starting XI, featuring all five available foreign players, with only Iker Guarrotxena missing out as he had just arrived in Goa.

Arshdeep Singh started between the posts, while the attacking trio of Sadiku, Dejan Drazic, and Borja Herrera led the charge up front. The match was intense from the outset, with both teams displaying physicality in their play. Known for its aggressive style, Brisbane Roar stayed true to it and was not hesitant to use force to thwart FC Goa’s advances.

As the first half drew to a close, tempers flared, culminating in Brisbane’s Benjamin Halloran receiving a direct red card in the first minute of added time for a reckless challenge, reducing the visitors to ten men.

FC Goa capitalized on its numerical advantage early in the second half, scoring the decisive goal in the 51st minute.