Goa, April 27: FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando conceded it was a terrible moment for his team to concede the equaliser in the last moments of the game against Qatari club Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions League Group Stage match.
The Spanish tactician, though, promised a better display in their last outing against UAE club Al Wahda on Thursday after the 1-1 draw against Al Rayyan on Monday. The Indian Super League (ISL) club came agonisingly close to becoming the first Indian side to win an AFC Champions League encounter when they took the lead in the third minute, only to concede the equaliser in the 89th minute.
“It’s difficult when you lose in the last minute. But, the truth is that we are playing against very good teams. It is a pleasure to play against (Iran’s) Persepolis FC, (UAE’s) Al Wahda and (Qatar’s) Al Rayyan,” the Spanish tactician said.
“We needed to be better during the transition prior to conceding. That’s a big difference between the other teams playing here and us. It was a terrible moment for my players to concede at the last moment,” Ferrando said.
The Spaniard said his team wanted to bring cheers to the people In the country, who were “in a very difficult situation at this moment”.
“We were thinking that if we win it will be a good moment for the Indian people. (The players) were talking about playing for India because I know about the difficult moments. But, we conceded at the last moment. This is football.”FC Goa are currently on three points from five matches.
On playing the last couple of matches with a half-fit team, Ferrando said, “It is necessary to talk with the players because they have done a great job. Of course, we need to improve. We have our next match against Al Wahda. There are some injuries, and it is difficult to prepare. The medical staff has been working tirelessly.” (IANS)
