PANAJI
FC Goa picked up full three points for the first time in Indian Super League 2020-21 after a comfortable 3-1 victory over Kerala Blasters FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday. The Gaurs won their first game in four matches this season and head coach Juan Ferrando had every reason to be happy.
“I am happy with the score because the three points are very important for us. It’s important to continue working to prepare for the next match against Odisha because we have some things that we still need to work on,” Ferrando said at the post-match press conference.
Ferrando assessed this team’s performance on the night. “After the score became 2-0, Goa were better than Kerala for almost 10-15 minutes but only after the 2-0. Kerala were playing very well with players like Facundo Pereyra and Vicente Gomez, who are fantastic players. I think more about the transitions than the goals. Our next target is Odisha FC and we will aim for the three points once again,” said Ferrando.
The Spaniard also heaped praise on Ortiz, who opened his account for the Gaurs when he doubled Goa’s lead seven minutes into the second half. “I am very happy with Ortiz’s performance because he is working a lot. He has a lot of quality while shooting or crossing and day by day his performance is getting better,” Ferrando said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters head coach Kibu Vicuna conceded that their opponents FC Goa were the better side on the night. “FC Goa were generally better than us. Both teams created chances but we gave away too much defensively. We gave them a lot of possibilities. They have very good players and I think it was a fight for the ball,” he said after the match.
However, Vicuna was not too disheartened with the result and was confident that his side will bounce back. “We are in the process. Sergio (Cidoncha) is also injured which has affected the morale of the team but we have to keep going. We have some difficult matches coming up but we are confident that we will play well and perform well,” he said.
