With two wins on the trot, Goa are perched on top of Group B ahead of their third match against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur today
BY CHARLES D'SOUZA
MARGAO
With two wins on the trot, Goa are perched on top of Group B of the 70th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy ahead of their third match against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur on Saturday.
The team, managed by coach Alfred Fernandes has lived up to its potential and have already proved to be force to reckon with in their Santosh Trophy campaign, approaching each match with intent in their performance.
Come Saturday, Fernandes' team will certainly look to seal their passage to the semi-finals. However, Alfred Fernandes refuses to take anything for granted.
"We still have room for improvement. The way the players have responded to the team's formation is very satisfying. But we can't sit back and relax since there is still a lot of work to do," opined the Goa coach.
Fernandes very clear about what he wants from his players and means business. "Every game in this tournament is like a final. It's about the survival of the fittest. Tamil Nadu are a very strong team. So I'm expecting my players to stay focused and keep the momentum going," he said without elaborating whether he will rotate his personnel or otherwise.
Injuries to key players from time to time has been bothering the team management and as such the list apparently seems to be fluctuating. Strikers Bevan D'Mello, Milagres Gonsalves and central defender Mohammed Ali are doubtful starters and the coach will take a final call on the morrow as to whether these players will be part of the match-day strategy.
Fernandes, however, sounded upbeat on the eve but added a word of caution saying: "It's a challenge for us as much as it is for Tamil Nadu. These problems are part of our job but the boys have done well.This will be a tough match."
If Goa manage to shrug off their wayward finishing, then Tamil Nadu will have their hands full as the Goans have proved time and again they can work up a tempo and create abundant scoring opportunities but it is their poor finishing that has been their undoing.
