Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday congratulated home-grown Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Goa on becoming the first-ever Indian club to qualify for the group stages of the AFC Champions League.
Sawant took to Twitter and wrote, "Congratulations to @FCGoaOfficial for creating history by being the first ever Indian football club to qualify for the prestigious @TheAFCCL. My best wishes to the entire team of FC Goa."
AFC Champions League, which is viewed as Asia's top club competition will now see India's representation as FC Goa outclassed Jamshedpur FC 5-0 in the ISL.
In the match, Ferran Corominas, Hugo Boumous, Jackichand Singh and Mourtada Fall registered goals for Goa.
In the past, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have represented India in the Asian Club Championships, but this is the first time that any team from the country will be taking part in the group stages of the AFC Champions League.
Recently, ISL was recognised 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.