As the dust settles after the frenetic league and semi-final stages, both losing semi-finalists from last season FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC face each other in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League final to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on December 20. Having missed out narrowly on making the final last year after losing to Atlético de Kolkata on penalties, FC Goa began their campaign at home to Delhi Dynamos FC knowing that going one better than their semi-final finish last season would grant them the opportunity of playing the 2015 Hero ISL’s grand finale in front of their local crowd.This, however, was easier said than done as it turned out to be a rocky road to the final for the Gaurs with plenty of ups and downs. The fact that they topped the table may lull one into believing that the Gaurs have had a smooth ride. However, in reality it has been a completely different story. The Gaurs have, in fact, never won more than two games in succession this year and their longest unbeaten streak has been a stretch of four matches which featured two wins and two draws and culminated in their 7-0 blitz of Mumbai City FC – the biggest win in the history of the league.Scoring goals has not been an issue for Goa this year as they finished the league stage as the top scorers with 29 goals. Three of the eight hat-tricks this season have come from Goa with Dudu, Thongkhosiem Haokip and Reinaldo all etching their names into the record books. Head coach Zico’s men, however, have often been victims of their own attacking style of play this season as heavy 4-0 and 4-1 defeats against Chennaiyin FC and Atlético de Kolkata suggest. That being said they have lost the least number of games this season (4), shedding light on how difficult Zico has made his team to beat this year. Goa’s mental strength and ability to turn around games from losing positions further highlights the winning mentality instilled by Zico. No team has recovered to claim more points from losing positions than FC Goa this year. The Gaurs came from behind to register 2-1 and 5-1 victories against Kerala Blasters FC and 3-1 and 3-2 wins against NorthEast United FC and Delhi Dynamos FC – all in the league stage.The biggest test of their mental resolve was when they had to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Delhi Dynamos FC in the second leg of their semi-final clash at home. And FC Goa rose to the challenge once again in their last hurdle en route to the final by producing a dominant performance which saw them beat Delhi 3-0 at Fatorda. FC Goa’s never-say-die attitude even in the most difficult of circumstances was stressed by Zico in the wake of the win against the Lions. “The difference was the attitude of the team, the behaviour, the desire to win and fight there. That helped us perform this way. So our team understood that today was to kill or to die,” the Brazilian told reporters after the match.The final test of Goa’s mettle will be in front of a capacity crowd at home. Their opponents will be none other than the Super Machans who beat them at the same venue 4-0 in their first encounter of the season. The Gaurs have since had their revenge on Marco Materazzi’s men courtesy of a 2-0 win in Chennai. Sunday’s clash between these two sides is set to be the last chapter of Season 2. With both teams having a victory under their belt against one another, it definitely promises to be a belter of a grand finale on Sunday.
