FC Goa’s unbeaten run in the Indian Super League 2019-20 came to an end after they were narrowly beaten by Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Tuesday.
The Gaurs had the lion’s share of possession and created more than a few opportunities, but a lack of ruthlessness and some resolute Jamshedpur defending meant that they ended the night without adding any points to their tally.
However, while speaking at his post-match press conference, the FC Goa head coach, Sergio Lobera opined that his players could not have done anything more to get a positive result from the fixture. “I think my team have done everything they could. Next match we will do everything we can. And if this is not enough to win the match, I am very proud of my players. This is the situation. Today, my opinion, is that we have done everything we could,” he said.
With regards to the absentees in his squad, the Spaniard said, “This is the situation. I, as a coach, can only speak on the players who played today. I don’t want to speak about the players who did not play today. It is not easy for us. Next match is not easy for us either. Today, I prefer to speak about the players who played the match and not the players who missed the match.”
“As a coach I need to work in this circumstance. It is not possible to give excuses. It is not possible to speak about what I would like to do in the future. I can only speak about the current situation. Tomorrow is a new day. We have four days to prepare well for the next match and go to Kochi to play against a good team, and to try and do our best,” Lobera added.
Finally, the Gaurs boss delivered some positive news on the injury front by confirming striker Ferran Corominas was in line to make a comeback in Goa’s next match. “I think for the next match it will be possible to play for him. It is not a big injury,” he said.
‘Very happy’ Iriondo
Jamshedpur FC, meanwhile, jumped to second on the points table after their win on Tuesday. Antonio Iriondo’s men were on top in the first half, taking the lead through Sergio Castel in the 17th minute. However, in the second 45, the Gaurs poured men forward and created a few openings, which were dealt with by the Jamshedpur defence.
After the result, a satisfied Iriondo spoke at the post-match press conference, where he began by expressing his delight with the three points. “I am very happy with the result. We played very well in the first half. Maybe not that good in the second half, but we fought, and we defended well. Having played against such a good team as this, it is one of the best teams in the league, and to be able to win at their own home is something to be very proud of. I’m happy.”
The Spaniard, who at his pre-match briefing had labelled the Gaurs, ATK and Bengaluru FC as the three best teams in the league, felt that his team had done reasonably well to collect four points from their fixtures against the trio so far. “Once again, with all the respect for the rest of the teams, Goa, Kolkata and Bengaluru are the three best teams in my opinion.”
He added: “So, we drew with Bengaluru and won here. So, we got one win, one draw and one loss, which I think is a very good balance, for playing against the top three teams in the league. So, yes, we are very happy with the result.”
Despite seeing his team climb to second in the table, the 66-year-old wasn’t getting carried away and stated, “The important thing is to be in this position at the end of the season. But the way we have started the season, it is something that is pushing us up and helping us to keep working and trying to go this way. So, hopefully, we can be in this position at the end of the season.”
