TWICE FC Goa have been beaten by Mumbai City FC this season and on both occasions, it was a close game. Sergio Lobera spoke to the press at the post match press conference. Seriton Fernanades was sent off in the second half after receiving his second yellow card. Lobera believed it would have been a different game had that not happened.
“I think that (the red card) was a big influence on the game. I think if all the players were in the game, things would have changed,” he stated.
“Just as the second half began, we had an opportunity where Mandar was in a one-on-one situation. Two minutes later, we went down to 10 men. It does hurt us a lot, but I think we showed great composure in coming back with the equaliser and making it 3-3. We reached a point when it was 3-3 with 12 minutes remaining on the clock and we were down to 10 men. But even with 10 players, we wanted to win the game. However, we shouldn’t have left spaces behind, which we did. The only thing I am unhappy about is the goal which we couldn’t manage to score in the first half against a team who only came here to defend. We shouldn’t have let them score those goals easily. Also, I am unhappy with the fourth goal, which I think we conceded due to a lack of composure within ourselves.”
On the fact that Goa have been the top scoring team in the league but unable to keep a clean sheet, Lobera replied,
“When you score three goals at home and end up losing 4-3, it is difficult. Apparently it was a straightforward game, but in reality, it was different from the others, a strange one. The players, the penalty and then there were moments in the game which affected the final result. But obviously, there are aspects in which we need to improve. But when you score three goals at home, it gets a bit difficult to digest that you didn’t win the game.”
Looking ahead, the Spaniard shared he is positive about the coming games and acknowledged his team must learn from mistakes.
“Against Mumbai, we lost two games but you know, football is sometimes unjust. We lost two games which we didn’t deserve to. Also, our upcoming game is against a team (NorthEast United FC) we lost away from home to, and so we need to focus on the mistakes we made there and ensure that we do not repeat them. So we will come back at home and try for the three points,” he concluded.