FC Goa suffered a 0-2 defeat against FC Istiklol of Tajikistan in their second AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 Group D match at the Central Stadium in Hisor on Wednesday.
Second-half strikes by Rustam Soirov and Reza Dehghani gave the Tajik champion its first win following its 5-0 loss to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club in their AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 opener.
FC Goa, meanwhile, suffered its second defeat, having lost to Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC in their opener in Goa.
Istiklol’s Soirov, Manuchehr Safarov, and Muhammadjon Rahimov made tentative tries from outside the area within the first 15 minutes, but their attempts were easily thwarted by keeper Hrithik Tiwari.
Goa’s first chance materialised in the 22nd minute when a corner by Borja Herrera resulted in a goalmouth melee which ended with Spanish defender Pol Moreno booting the ball over the bar.
The scrappy encounter came briefly to life in the 39th minute when Siavash Haghnazari evaded the Goa defence just outside the six-yard box, only to see his shot easily saved by Tiwari.
AS IT HAPPENED: ISTIKLOL VS FC GOA HIGHLIGHTS
Herrera’s header off a cross by Boris Singh five minutes later was headed for goal but was thwarted by a last-second flying save from keeper Stosic Nikola.
Istiklol broke the deadlock a minute after the break when Soirov fired past the flailing hands of Tiwari into the top left corner after taking advantage of a defensive mix-up by Goa captain Sandesh Jhingan and Moreno outside the six-yard area.
The visitor, to its credit, refused to sit back, but consecutive efforts by Javi Siverio and Brison Fernandes in the 55th minute failed to find the target.
Dehghani, who had come on in the 66th minute, extended Istiklol’s lead eight minutes later when he blasted past Tiwari from just outside the area after picking up a loose ball following Rahimov’s fumbled attempt at goal.
Goa’s spirited attempts to close the gap came to nought with Dejan Drazic’s last-minute shot in a crowded goalmouth, flying off into the crowd.
Goa faces Al Nassr on October 22 in Margao, while Istiklol meets Al Zawraa on the same day.
Published on Oct 01, 2025
