In the first half, Iker Guarrotxena's hat trick put FC Goa in the driving seat. The away side pushed hard in the second half's starting minutes, but the home side got the fourth goal through Brandon Fernandes's free-kick. East Bengal FC tried to get into the game through Suhair Vadakkepeedik
The White Ferns skipper broke her foot and will not be part of the team's practice matches against England as a precaution, confirmed coach Ben Sawyer.
Iker Guarrotxena starred with a hat-trick which was scored inside the first 23 minutes, and Brandon Fernandes extended the home side's lead in the second half with a magnificent free-kick.
The 12-minute salvo from Guarrotxena took his goal tally for the season into double figures and propelled the Spaniard to the top of the goalscoring charts. The result also struck a blow to East Bengal FC's playoff hopes, and they now find themselves ten points off sixth place with five game
A win for the Islanders will take them seven points clear of Hyderabad FC, who are not playing this week. As for the Red Miners, they have a chance to become the only team to remain unbeaten against Mumbai City FC this season.
Sandeep Singh, an MLA from Pehowa, is facing charges of harassment from a woman coach while serving as the state's minister for sports and youth affairs.
Aizawl, a strong home team themselves, are not in a comfortable position either. They are also coming off a 1-2 defeat to NEROCA. Right now, the People's Club are eighth on the table with 17 points from 13 matches, one point ahead of Thursday's rivals.
Stephen Constantine's men are coming on the back of three successive defeats and would like to turn the tide against FC Goa to finish the season with some pride.
The likes of Kalaripayattu master SRD Prasad, Thang Ta guru K Sanathoiba Sharma, former cricketer and veteran cricket coach Gurcharan Singh will be honoured with the Padma Shri for distinguished service in their respective fields.
The win against the Blasters may have provided a huge boost to FC Goa, but Pena cautioned his team about the upcoming challenge against East Bengal FC and called for his team to maintain their focus.