Al Zawraa vs FC Goa Player Ratings: Drazic & Tiwari impress; 10-man Gaurs go down to Iraqi side

Gaurs were down to ten men with an hour of play remaining.

Baghdad geared up to host the penultimate matchweek of the AFC Champions League 2 clash between Al Zawraa SC and FC Goa. The Iraqi outfit needed a win to almost guarantee their spot in the knockout round. What seemed to be a cakewalk for the most decorated team in Iraq’s footballing history.

The game began with FC Goa treating this as a warm-up before the Super Cup semi-finals. They were dominating until a second yellow to Chhetri changed the equation for Manolo Marquez. From red card to missed penalty to own goal, the game had everything.

Despite playing with ten men, FC Goa did well tonight and lost 2-1 against Al Zawraa. Goa’s knockout hopes were previously crushed after conceding four defeats, but they fought like brave soldiers in Baghdad.

FC Goa succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Iraqi side Al Zawraa in the AFC Champions League Two tonight! #IndianFootball #FCGoa #ACL2 pic.twitter.com/NxzNRTdTnC

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) November 26, 2025

FC Goa Player Ratings-

Hritik Tiwari – 8/10

It was never easy for young Hritik Tiwari to keep the Iraqi team at bay after going a man down too early. From that fingertip save to making good saves, Hritik did well to keep the scoreline decent tonight against Al Zawraa at Baghdad.

Boris Singh – 7.5/10

Boris was brilliant in the right wing-back position. Despite facing relatively tough physical opponents, Boris kept his composure and cleared a lot of dangerous balls and attacks emerging from his flank and also contributed significantly in attack

Sandesh Jhingan – 7/10

Captain Sandesh Jhingan performed well and kept the team’s morale high even after going a player behind in the 34th minute. A solid defensive display and a fragile midfield saw Goa conceding just a mere 2-1 defeat.

Pol Moreno – 7/10

Pol Moreno pressed hard for that goal before the opposition player put it behind his own net. That effort paid off. Apart from that, he did a good job of keeping the defence tight from the centre.

Akash Sangwan – 6.5/10

Akash Sangwan was keen to contribute to both defence and attack. However, on some occasions, he appeared to be slow in retrieving the ball and was often susceptible to counterattacks.

Brison Fernandes – 6.5/10

Brison Fernandes had a decent game tonight. There was too much hope and expectation from him tonight after he rose to prominence in the game against Al Nassr.

Sahil Tavora – 6.5/10

Tavora had a tough day at the office, especially after his midfield partner, Chhetri, was shown a red. A lot of attacks were coming from the centre of the park, and Tavora looked a lot tired in the final few minutes.

Ayush Chhetri – 5.5/10

Ayush’s sent-off was a major turning point in the game. Goa were the best side until they were a man down. His sent-off decision looked a bit debatable as a second yellow was shown to Chhetri, and Gaurs were down to ten men with an hour of the game to play.

Dejan Drazic – 8.5/10

Dejan Drazic was a live wire in the flanks for FC Goa tonight. He was the only ray of hope for Goa tonight and pushed for the winner when the score was levelled 1-1. He was undoubtedly one of the best players tonight. He was subbed off to make way for Siverio.

Iker Guarrotxena – 7/10

Iker Guarrotxena looked a bit off colour upfront despite a few good moves. He shouldn’t be blamed too much, as a sudden red card in the game totally changed the equation and formation.

Borja Herrera – 7/10

Borja Herrera had the last chance of the game. He won a free kick from a dangerous position in the last minute of the game and came so close to salvaging a point from this game, but fate was not on the Goa side tonight.

Substitutions –

Muhammad Nemil – 6.5/10

Abdul Rabeeh – 7.5/10

Javier Siverio – 7/10

Udanta Singh – 7/10

Harsh Patre – 6.5/10

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