FC Goa marquee player Robert Pires along with the India Under 19 player before the kick off

In a fast paced first half FC Goa came out all guns blazing to take the lead via a Haroon Amiri goal in the 19th minute of play. FC Goa pushed on for a second but the India under 19 team held on and almost scored on the counter attack. With the first half coming to a close, Miguel Herlein scored a cracker of a shot from 20 yards to make it 2-0. The young boys from the India under 19 team came close on a number of occasions to get on the score sheet but Jan Seda held his line in goal.

In the second half FC Goa scored two quick goals to increase the lead. First Gabriel Fernandes scored to make it 3-0 and the next goal came from Holicharan Nazarath to take the lead at 4-0.

Said Manager and Chief Coach Zico post the match, “This level of performance was expected after the daily training and commitment that the team has been putting in everyday. The team now understands how I want them to play in terms of formation and performance. At the end of 90 minutes Im happy with how the team played.

Speaking on Pires he said, “ Pires’ presence on the field is important. He played well and assists the team. I’m satisfied with his performance and that of the team”.

Added co owner Mr. Dattaraj Salgaocar, “The team is shaping up well. They are gelling well and playing as a team. The players are committed and are playing with passion. This match has been a fast-paced entertaining match. I’m sure as the days go, they will gel and play together even better ”.

Ahead of ISL, which will begin on October 12, the franchise teams have been playing friendly matches with various football clubs. In its first friendly match played some days ago FC Goa triumphed over Sesa Football Academy by a margin of 3 goals (Score 3-0).

Zico has begun putting the FC Goa lads through the motions at team training sessions and is gearing for the first season of the ISL.

FC Goa will play their first ISL match against Chennaiyans FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao on October 15, 2014.

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Thanks to this stint with FC Goa, Goan lads like Romeo or Rowilson Rodrigues are not only witnessing the Brazilian legend in flesh and blood, but are also soaking in the words of wisdom and techniques shared by Zico, the team’s marquee coach has on offer.

FC Goa’s Foreign Recruites

And of course there’s the other star French international and Arsenal star Robert Pires.
“Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m playing alongside Robert Pires and all these fantastic players. It’s a great learning for me on and off the field” said Romeo after his daily training session at Tilak Maidan, Vasco.

Over the last few weeks the boys at FC Goa have been going through rigorous training sessions under the expert eye of Zico. One of the finest players in the world in terms of strategy and professionalism, Zico has had an impressive coaching career since 2002 when he began coaching. And all the experience is bound to pay off for FC Goa and its players.

Said Portuguese FC Goa player Edgar Carvalho Figueria Marcelino, a former Portugal under-21 international, who rose through the ranks of the Sporting Lisbon academy, “It has been amazing training with the team. It has been especially great since we have a coach like Zico who was an exceptional player himself. Training with Zico is different every day. Some days he makes us train very rigorously and other days he just lets us be and lets us play our game, which is good since it helps us in understanding our game.” The well-travelled attacking midfielder has played in Spain, Netherlands, Cyprus, Morocco, and Oman, apart from his native Portugal before arriving into Goa.

Miguel Bruno Pereira Herlein echoed Edgar’s thoughts, “Zico has helped us a lot in improving our game. As and when we play he keeps giving us various tips on how we can improve. I think it’s a privilege that we are getting trained under him since he is such a great player. He has so much experience of coaching great teams and that experience is helping us a lot”.

After stops in Cyprus and Poland, as well as a brief return to Portugal, Pinheiro tasted success as part of the Maccabi Netanya team which earned promotion to Israel’s first division in 2013. Pinheiro has now made Goa his home for the next few weeks.

Haroon Amiri from Afghanistan who joined the squad three day ago said, “Being coached by Zico is a dream come true for any professional footballer. Its truly an honor”.

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Santos, who played for Arsenal has signed on for FC Goa and will join the squad shortly.

A youth product of Figueirense in Brazil, Santos participated and helped Brazil capture the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He joined EPL team Arsenal from Fenerbache in 2011 and eventually moved to Brazil to play with Gremio followed by Flamengo. Andre will be moving from Brazil to Goa soon.

FC Goa roped in two of Dempo SC’s foreign imports – Australian Tolgay Ozbey and Haroon Amiri of Afghanistan – for the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL)

FC Goa are all set to face Chennaiyin FC in their opening game on 15th October 2014.

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