Indian cricket team captain and FC Goa co-owner Virat Kohli were elated as his Indian Super League (ISL) club scripted history by becoming the first Indian team to qualify for the group stages of the Asian Football Club (AFC) Champions League on Wednesday (February 19).
The FC Goa has outclassed Jamshedpur FC 5-0 on Wednesday in the ISL to secure a berth in the group stage of the AFC Champions League – the continent's top-tier club competition.
In the history-making match, Ferran Corominas, Hugo Boumous, Jackichand Singh and Mourtada Fall registered goals for Goa against the fellow ISL outfit Jamshedpur FC, as well as, the club also broke their own goalscoring record with 46 strikes in 2020 season – an all-time high.
FC Goa co-owner Kohli was mighty proud of his boys as he took to Twitter to congratulate and loud the Gaurs on becoming the first-ever Indian club to qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage and topping the ISL League table with 39 points from 18 matches.
Kohli replied on FC Goa's post-match celebration video-post, “Big ups to the Gaurs on becoming the first-ever Indian club to qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage and topping the ISL League table! Keep putting in the work. We are all behind you. #BeGoa #FCGoainAsia.”
Noteworthy, the club is currently co-owned by Jaydev Mody, Akshay Tandon and Kohli with Goa, the only state or union territory declared football as its official sport and the logo represents state’s animal the Gaur.
Recently, ISL was recognized as the top-tier league in the country by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and as a result, its top team in the league phase will be representing India in the AFC Champions League.
