Noah Sadaoui keeps FC Goa's Shield flame aloft with 12-minute mayhem at Fatorda | ISL 2023-24

Taking head coach Manolo Marquez's rallying call to take the attack to his former club Hyderabad FC by heart, FC Goa thrashed the former by a 4-0 scoreline in Gameweek 21 of the ISL at the Fatorda Stadium on April 5.

Noah Sadaoui, coming off the bench, wreaked havoc on a hapless Hyderabad defence and completed a hat-trick in a mere 12 minutes to turn the Gaurs' fortunes around. He scored goals in the 47th, 54th and 59th minutes, respectively.

Center-forward Carlos Martinez put the final nail in the coffin of the Nawabs when he found a loose ball in midfield, bypassed substitute left-back Jeremy Zohminghlua in the 84th minute and tapped a goal in.

This win keeps Goa in the race for the ISL Shield, albeit with a caveat that the other challengers Mumbai City, Mohun Bagan and Odisha FC drastically drop points.

Both clubs seemed to be on the brink of breaking through in the first half, with the Yellow and Black seemingly being in a better position to do so. However, it ended in a stalemate.

Carlos Martinez scored the fourth goal for FC Goa on Friday. [FCG]

Master tactician Marquez, who led the Nawabs to the ISL trophy in 2021-22, played the masterstroke of bringing Sadaoui on for former Hyderabadi Borja Herrera after the break and awakened a sleeping giant.

The Moroccan found two exquisite balls from Mohammad Yasir to beat Goan Laxmikant Kattimani in Hyderabad's goal whereas the other goal was thanks to a ball from Benaulim boy and club captain Brandon Fernandes.

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Goa managed the game extremely well and put paid to Hyderabad's shortcomings

Noah Sadaoui's first goal was one that could have been hung in the Goa State Museum in Panaji, with him finding a cross from Yasir first time and hitting the back of the net with the perfect curve. The second and third - all beautiful in their own right - seemed to be mere admissions of toll tax after the first.

Right-back Sajad Parray's shortcomings were awfully clear to everyone who noticed closely, and wondered as to how he was able to survive the rest of the second half marking a tenacious Sadaoui.

Hyderabad's lack of options on the bench - for better or for worse - worsened the night of torment for Parray, who had to silently bear and grin whilst praying to avoid as much confrontation with his adversary as possible.

The Gaurs were comprehensive for the rest of the game after Sadaoui's and Martinez's goals, and despite Marquez taking both his centre-backs off, managed it well enough to not give Hyderabad even a sniff of a chance.

Fatorda, generally known to be vociferous in its outspoken support for the home team, seemed subdued for a long time until Sadaoui came on. He weaved his way past the Nawabs and resurrected the former's title hopes.

Hyderabad will end their season when they host Kerala Blasters on Friday, April 12. Meanwhile, Goa still have a couple of games to play, a trip to Jamshedpur FC on April 9 and then back home against Chennaiyin FC on April 14.