ISL 2017, Match 12: FC Goa vs Bengaluru FC, 5 Talking Points

FC Goa dealt Bengaluru FC their first defeat of the ISL 2017 season by winning a pulsating encounter at the Fatorda Stadium 4-3.

It was Goa's first home game of the season and they delighted the fans with the win as both sides played some entertaining football to give us one of the best games of the tournament.

Here are the main talking points:

#1 Talk about being entertained

Tonight's clash at Fatorda was a keenly anticipated one for many reasons. It involved two teams that like to express themselves, two teams good going forward, two teams with goals in them and two teams with two Spaniards as head coaches who we can safely say prefer to not sit back and get embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse.

And this game delivered in spades. The tempo was perhaps the best of all the matches thus far this season. There weren't too many sideways passes or back-passes. Both teams looked to create openings at every given opportunity. There were great goals, careless football, a red card, spirited comebacks et al.

There was an end product too to all of it with three goals being scored inside 35 minutes, seven goals in all. Even the red card failed to derail the match completely as three more goals were scored after that incident.

While for fans of the two teams, it might have been a roller-coaster ride of emotions, for the neutrals, it was an absolutely entertaining ride from start to finish.

#2 Red mist descends on Gurpreet and Bengaluru

The Bengaluru keeper was sent off for striking Lanzarote on the face

A few careless moments from the visitors saw them lose the ball, lose their keeper and lose their foothold in the game in the space of a few seconds.

It all began when Bengaluru gave the ball away in a very dangerous area just outside their box with two Goa players lurking nearby. Sensing a chance, the Goa players pressed for the ball and when the Bengaluru defence passed it back to keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Goa's Manuel Lanzarote went after it in an attempt to steal the ball as the pass was under-hit. Sandhu though managed to get the ball away just in the nick of time, but Lanzarote's momentum saw him step on Sandhu's left leg. It didn't look intentional.

Sandhu, though, took offence to it and the two got into a bit of argy-bargy in the box with the Bengaluru keeper raising his arm around Lanzarote's face. The latter, sensing an opportunity, fell to the ground clutching his face and soon the referee and players were gathered around the box resulting in the referee soon sending off Sandhu with a straight red for raising his hands.

The Bengaluru players' complaints were to no avail and since the foul was inside the box, it meant a penalty as well for Goa to rub salt into Bengaluru's wounds. Lanzarote stepped up and calmly slotted the ball in to give Goa a two-goal lead. Two up on the scoreboard and a man up on the pitch.

While Sandhu made minimal contact with Lanzarote, he gave the referee room to send him off by raising his arms which you cannot do and Bengaluru got themselves into the mess with their callous passing leading up to it. No one to blame, but themselves.

#3 No lead is safe for Goa

Goa took a comfortable lead but struggled to keep hold of it

As easy on the eye as Goa are going forward, their defence is amongst the nerviest in the league. They take risks by trying to pass the ball out at every given opportunity and many a time, end up giving the opposition a look-in.

It just looks like every time pressure is applied to that backline, teams extract a goal. To add to that, in Laxmikant Kattimani, they have a keeper who, coming into this game, was responsible for all four of the goals they had conceded. Not exactly very reassuring as your last line of defence.

In the first game, they were in a commanding position, 3-0 up at half-time away at Chennaiyin, and yet allowed the hosts to come back to within a goal and almost steal a point. Today they were 3-1 up and a man up and allowed Bengaluru to get back to 3-3. Yes, Bengaluru's third was a peach, but it came from a loss of possession in a crucial area.

After re-establishing their lead soon afterwards, Goa exerted more caution to see the game out. While coach Sergio Lobera must no doubt be pleased with the six points his team have picked up, those jitters have left him with plenty of work still to be done.

#4 Roca's pre-match comments proven right

Roca's statements were proven right

It was the battle of the two Spaniards tonight - Sergio Lobera vs Albert Roca.

Ahead of the match, Roca had said that Goa were one of the favourites for the title this year, seemingly an attempt at mind games with an aim to put pressure on the Gaurs. Well, with Goa winning the match, his comments were actually proven right with his side losing their first game of the campaign tonight.

Only Roca knows if he meant his statements as a compliment, but if not, they certainly left him feeling vindicated, except not in the way he would have expected.

#5 How about those goals?

The game saw a number of top-notch goals

There were seven goals in this game with the tournament also getting to witness its first hat-trick.

Five of them were absolutely brilliant.

Ferran Corominas scored a wonderful hat-trick, helping Goa edge this seven-goal affair. His first was a mazy run after picking up the ball just inside the centre circle. He got past two defenders, made space for himself and shot across the keeper to get us started.

His second was a neat bit of play from the training ground. Lanzarote's free-kick was met by Bruno Pinheiro who headed it down into the path of Corominas who made no mistake with his finish. Expertly done.

His third involved Lanzarote again, his fellow Spaniard playing a superb through ball as Corominas beat the offside trap, rounded the keeper and sealed the game for Goa.

At the other end, Miku was sensational for Bengaluru. His first came after neat interplay between Udanta Singh and Erik Paartalu saw the latter dink a neat ball over the defence for Miku to run onto and finish. His second though was the goal of the night and a contender for goal of the season.

A defensive error gifted the Venezuelan the ball and he took out three Goa players, the first with a fake and the other two with cuts past them. It was all done with such poise that you felt like watching the goal again and again. Three Goa players were left on their butts at the end of this move. Sensational.

Whatever you do, please hit up the highlights of this game and you will not be disappointed.