FC Goa 3–0 Gokulam Kerala Player Ratings: Iker Guarrotxena’s Hat-Trick Wraps Up the Game for the Gaurs
The round of 16 of the Indian Super Cup saw FC Goa lock horns with Gokulam Kerala on 21st April. The match showed a one-sided domination as Iker Guarrotxena’s hat-trick won Goa the match with a clean sheet. The match started well with both teams eager to battle it out in the early minutes to win the midfield contest. However, for the first 10 minutes, it was equally up for grabs for both of the teams as the battle did not settle down yet.
On multiple occasions, Goa forced Gokulam to play around rather than approaching the game directly. With numbers more in the midfield due to the 4-4-2 formation, it seemed as though Goa had the upper hand in the midfield. In the 12th minute, Borja’s set piece almost met with Iker’s goalscoring head, but the header was denied by the Kunniyil. In the first 15 minutes, Goa seemed to have the upper hand.
In the 17th minute, Ignacio had the chance to score a goal for his team from a corner, but his header was not on target from the near post. In the 21st minute, Goa was awarded a penalty. Guarrotxena stepped up and made it 1-0 for his team. After the goal, Goa had more possession of the ball. In the 30th minute, we had the first cooling break.
In the 34th minute, Iker doubled up Goa’s lead with an exquisite finish after Sangwan made a stunning cross in the box. Following the 2nd goal, Goa were more aggressive and looked forward to the 3rd goal. After the 45th-minute whistle, it stood 2-0. The second half started with Gokulam chasing the score. They made an early substitution, hoping to change the fortune of the game. In the 53rd minute, we got to see some amazing dribbling from Dejan Dražić in the opposition box.
Sandesh almost made it 3-0 from a corner in the 58th minute, but his header was inches away from the post. In the 66th minute, Niane almost had the chance to make it 2-1, but his shot went wide after hitting the crossbar. Guarrotxena got his hat-trick finally in the 70th minute from a tap-in after a stunning team game in the opposition box. Following that, attacks back and forth from both teams saw no more goals.
After the normal 90 minutes, 4 additional minutes were added. However, the score stood 3-0 after the full-time whistle. Here are the FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala Player Ratings.
FC Goa Player Ratings
GK- Hrithik Tiwari- 5/10
Hrithik Tiwari had very little to do during the first half. His contributions throughout the minutes in the first half was seen more with passing and instructing his teammates, which turned out to be fruitful as his team barely conceded any promising chances whole having a comfortable 2-goal lead.
RB- Aakash Sangwan- 5/10
Aakash’s overlapping runs today were great. On multiple occasions, he was given the green light to get behind the defense and put some quality balls in. However, it did not happen a lot, given that FC Goa was approaching the game with more from the center. He got an assist.
CB- Boris Singh Thangjam- 5/10
Boris kept a high line of defense along with Onaindia today. However, his attacking duties were not the only highlight. In the first half, his defensive performances had been exceptional as well.
CB- Odei Onaindia- 5/10
Odei read every ball that came his way like a pro defender he is. Not one time in the first half, he miss reading the incoming balls from Gokulam wingers. With Boris he maintained a high line of defense today.
LB- Sandesh Jhingan- 6/10
Unsurprisingly, Sandesh Jhingan had been consistent today. Whether he was going up to give his team the extra man at the flanks or making his trackbacks to help his defense, he was the most active and influential player in his team. He made some critical tackles to deny Gokulam any goal in the first half.
CM- Udanta Singh Kumam- 5/10
Udanta Singh Kumam, along with his midfield partners, had a solid presence in the game today. Whether it was about controlling the tempo of the game or picking up the 1st and 2nd balls, he was there almost everywhere.
CM- Ayush Dev Chhetri- 5/10
Ayush was the midfielder today who wisely made the tactical fouls in the first half without getting booked. The idea was to deny any momentum for Gokulam and as the match went on, the task seemed to be accomplished by the midfielders of Goa.
RM- Borja Herrera- 5/10
Borja seemed to be the playmaker for Goa today. On multiple occasions, he almost spoon-fed the ball to his teammate to score the goal. However, in the early minutes, things did not kick off right for the forwards. He was one of the players in the game who had the highest touches.
LM- Carl McHugh- 4.5/10
Carl played the total minutes of the first half standing on the edge of booking. That being said, he has been influential in the midfield with his link-up plays and giving the flanks an extra man during the defending duties of the team.
ST- Dejan Dražić- 5/10
Dejan stole the ball from Gokulam players on their half on multiple occasion. He tried to proceed with a quick one-two multiple times to meet the Gokulam goalkeeper in a one-on-one position but it did not work out.
ST- Iker Guarrotxena- 5.5/10
Even though Iker missed a couple of half-chances, he was the one who gifted his team the lead in today’s fixture. He kept his composure and made Shibinraj Kunniyil dive the other way while he slotted the ball in the opposite direction. He doubled the team’s lead in the 34th minute with a stunning finish. He finally got his hat-trick in the 70th minute.
Sub- Jay Gupta- 4/10
Jay Gupta came on in the 65th minute of the game. Manager Marquez wanted more defensive stability which is why these subs were made after the 60th minute.
Sub- Sahil Tavora- 4/10
Sahil Tavora came along with Jay Gupta. The purpose behind his substitution was that the manager wanted to introduce a couple of fresh legs to avoid any fatigue in the defense line and ensure a clean sheet.
Sub- Brison Fernandes- 4/10
As Goa was in a comfortable position, the manager wanted to give the youngsters a chance and decided to bring in Brison to get some valuable minutes. He came in the later stages of the game after the water break.
Sub- Alan Saji- 4/10
Alan Saji came along Brison Fernandes after the water break. It was a substitution that not only gave the youngster some valuable minutes but also gave the veterans in the field some much-needed break. Almost scored a goal in the later minutes, but his shot was denied.
Sub- Prachit Gaonkar- 4/10
Manuel Marquez made another smart choice and gave Prachit a chance in today’s game as he introduced him in the 81st minute as his team was in a comfortable lead. Had a go from outside the box but his shot went wide.
Manager- Manuel Marquez- 7/10
Manuel Marquez no doubt was happy with how his team has performed. He has made the right subs to avoid unnecessary bookings and keeping the line-up fresh.
Gokulam Player Ratings
GK- Shibinraj Kunniyil- 5/10
While Shibinraj Kunniyil kept his team out of danger on multiple occasions, he was helpless when his team awarded a poor penalty during the 21st minute, which saw the first goal.
RB- Shubhangi Singh- 5/10
Shubhangi Singh’s presence in the right back position made sure less dangerous deliveries from the left flank of Goa. He made quite a few critical challenges to deny the Goa forwards on multiple occasions.
CB- Athul Unnikrishnan- 5.5/10
Athul saved his team on multiple occasions in the first half. Whether it was with the follow-ups or making crucial challenges, he stepped up for the occasion and almost injured himself in the process in the early 15 minutes of the game.
CB- Nidhin Krishna- 5/10
Nidhin was visibly upset with his team’s defensive performance, especially how his team was giving up corners time after time. Though he did his best to keep Goa at bay from scoring, on multiple occasions, he failed to get his team together which saw the early 2 goals in the first half.
LB- Laishram Johnson Singh- 5/10
While it might seem that Laishram Johnson Singh was rather careless with his challenges, if we look at the overall game, his impact made sure of less goals in the match. His trackbacks were there till the last minute he played today.
CM- Abhijith Kurungodan- 5.5/10
Abhijith Kurungodan tried his best to win the midfield battle of the game, but it was nowhere to be seen. One of the biggest reasons behind that is he plays in a role that is more of a CAM than a CM, and he seemed to fumble under the midfield pressure.
CM- Ignacio Abeledo- 5/10
He had a hard time in the midfield along with his teammates. On the 17th minute, Ignacio had the chance to get one goal for his team from a corner but his header was not in the target from the near post. Had a couple of go in the second half but could not score.
CM- Sergio Llamas Pardo- 5.5/10
Sergio Llamas Pardo tried his best to rally his forward every time they had the ball. But the incoming crosses were read by the Goa defenders easily and every time Gokulam wanted to move the ball from the center, they were caught by the number game of Goa.
RW- Adama Niane- 5/10
While Adama Niane seemed to have great positioning in the game today, he was not at all impactful in the totality of the first half. He was caught offside multiple times. Moreover, his presence did not bother the Goa defenders in the first half. He missed a tap-in during the 66th minute as his shot rattled the bar and went out.
LW- Sinisa Stanisavic- 4/10
Sinisa Stanisavic saw the ball at his feet. On a rare occasion, he was seen attempting an aerial ball in the box. For the rest of the first half, he was nowhere near in the box or on the edge of it.
ST- Thabiso Brown- 5/10
In contrast to the Goa forwards, Thabiso Brown seen very less quality balls in the box. There was no quality movements at all from each flanks in his team which was one of the reasons why the forward did not see much of the ball.
Sub- Martin Chaves- 4/10
Martin came on to the match at the beginning of the second half. As his team was trailing by a 2-goal lead, coach Rueda wanted more creativity and making of chances, which is why the substitution came early. He was booked in the 50th minute for arguing.
Sub- Ranjeet Singh Pandre P- 4/10
Ranjeet Singh Pandre P came in the late minutes of the game. Antonio Rueda almost counted his team out by this point and made the introduction to give the player some minutes in the game.
Sub- Akhil Parveen- 4/10
Akhil Parveen came along Ranjeet Singh Pandre P in the 85th minute to see off the game. The manager wanted him to get some valuable minutes. Any contributions with goals was a bonus for the team at that point.
Manager- Antonio Rueda- 4/10
Antonio Rueda was the unhappy manager between the two. None of his tactics worked out in today’s game. Moreover, his team was never in the control of the game.
Sportsdunia Man of the Match is Iker Guarrotxena.
When was the match between FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala?
The match of FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala was on 21st April, 2025.
What was the score of the match between FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala?
The score of the match between FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala was 3-0.
Who was the best player of the match FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala?
Iker Guarrotxena was the best player of the match FC Goa vs Gokulam Kerala.
Who was the worst player of the match Goa vs Gokulam Kerala?
Adama Niane was the worst player of the match Goa vs Gokulam Kerala.