(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) FC Goa's head coach, Manolo Marquez, expressed his belief that the outcome could have swung either way following his team's thrilling victory over Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Tuesday.
The match, held at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, showcased a seesaw battle, with FC Goa fighting back from an early setback to secure a vital win. Despite Rei Tachikawa opening the scoring for Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa swiftly responded with goals from Noah Sadaoui and Carlos Martinez, seizing control of the game. However, Seiminlen Doungel's second-half equalizer for Jamshedpur FC set the stage for a tense finale. Yet, substitute Borja Herrera emerged as the hero, netting a late winner to seal FC Goa's 12th victory of the season.
This triumph extended FC Goa's unbeaten streak to six games, with four wins in that period. Consequently, they climbed to third place in the standings, displacing Odisha FC to fourth. Additionally, FC Goa's aspirations for a top-two finish remain alive, pending victory in their final fixture and favorable results from Mohun Bagan Super Giant's remaining matches.
Reflecting on the match, Marquez highlighted the intensity of the encounter, noting the numerous opportunities created by both sides.
“The game was crazy. A lot of clear chances for Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa. For the crowd, it was a good game. I don't know for Jamshedpur FC head coach (Khalid Jamil) but these kinds of games are heads or tails and today was (heads) for us. My feeling is that we had more chances than them. And finally we won the game. Now at this moment we have only one game to finish the regular season and it is the most important,” he said in the post-match press conference.
During the 80th minute, Marquez made strategic substitutions, bringing in Herrera and Raynier Fernandes, followed by Brison Fernandes and Udanta Singh. This quartet's entry noticeably bolstered FC Goa's control over the match.
Herrera, introduced late in the game, nearly found the net shortly after his arrival and ultimately secured a crucial goal following an error from Jamshedpur FC goalkeeper Vishal Yadav. Another impactful substitute, Brison Fernandes injected fresh energy into FC Goa's midfield and played a pivotal role in setting up Herrera's goal.
Marquez conceded some uncertainty regarding his substitution decisions but acknowledged Herrera's substantial influence on the game.
“In fact, I was doubting a lot about the substitutions. In fact, I was thinking a lot about what to do because the game was completely crazy. We had a lot of spaces, but more than defending, we were not compact. Maybe if we put a third team on the pitch, we could play with three teams today because the spaces were very big. I was doubting a lot about the substitutions and in this case, Borja entered. He has a good shoot(ing ability) from outside the box. In Mumbai, he could have scored two or three goals. Today he shot two three times and the chance which was less clear but it was a strong shot and it was a mistake of the goalkeeper (which led to the goal),” Marquez explained.
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