ISL Season 8: FC goa once again ended up second best as they were defeated 2-0 by Mumbai City FC. The Gaurs poured their heart and soul into the game but it was not enough for them to secure even a single point. They had several opportunities to hurt the Islanders but they were not clinical enough. Follow all the ISL 2021-22 LIVE Updates only on InsideSport.IN
The same things were reiterated by FC Goa’s assistant head coach Clifford Miranda who has been with the setup for a long time now and understands the problems that they faced this season. Miranda also rued the chances missed by the forwards and then mistakes at the back meant that they suffered a defeat against Mumbai City, who did their double over the Gaurs in the current campaign.
FULL-TIME | #FCGMCFC @MumbaiCityFC show determination and grit 🆚 @FCGoaOfficial to grab 3️⃣ vital points, thanks to goals from Mehtab Singh and @Di_Mauricio_! 💪#HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/5rXC8Fv2Ks
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) February 26, 2022
Miranda highlighted how FC Goa were better in creating chances, better in second balls and all the positive aspects but then their inability to capitalise on the defining moments means that they lose the opportunity to bag positive results.
“We have a squad and that’s why we have a squad. When someone is not there, there is someone who steps up. And I think whoever came in today, it was a fantastic performance by the team, both individually as well as collectively. We created more chances, we defended well, we were good in positional play in attack, we were first to second balls, but this is just the story of our season. We get punished for mistakes that we make,” Miranda stated at the post-match press conference.
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Airam Cabrera had a golden opportunity to score from the spot and hand FC Goa the lead in the first half but Mohammed Nawaz came up with a good save. Miranda did not blame th Spaniard for missing the opportunity but he felt that the early lead in the game could have set the tone for the Gaurs going forward.
“It’s always nice to take the lead whether it’s a penalty or from open play. I never blame the players. We tried and the goalkeeper made a save. If we take an early lead, it helps the team but then the penalty can go either way. I felt we created enough chances apart from the penalty to take the lead and win this game.”
The former India international who is currently working with Derick Pereira in the FC Goa setup feels that the bonding among the players and the staff despite their rough season is the main positive takeaway from the current campaign. Speaking about the positive from the season, Miranda said, “The entire team, their performance. For the outside world, we had nothing to play for but if you see the players the way they played, the way we performed from the first minute to the last, we worked hard for each other and the team. And you can see the feeling when we lost, we were disappointed because after a wonderful and spirited performance with and without the ball, we went away with nothing.”
FC Goa will finish their Indian Super League campaign with a clash against Kerala Blaster on 6th March and they will hope to end the season on a high with a win. The penultimate game of the season may also see captain Edu Bedia return to the starting lineup.
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