2021 AFC Champions League FC | FC Goa made lot of mistakes and lost the ball many times, rues Juan Ferrando

FC Goa showed nerves of steel during their first couple of matches in the AFC Champions League, having played out 0-0 draws against Al-Rayyan (Qatar) and Al-Wahada (UAE). But, their toughest challenge waited when they faced the likes of Iranian heavyweights Persepolis FC last Tuesday evening.

While the Gaurs took an early lead by virtue of a header from Edu Bedia, the visitors pulled back and eventually secured a 2-1 win. The margin of victory could have been more if not Hossein Kaananizadegan missed a penalty in the 42nd minute. FC Goa boss Juan Ferrando feels that they have made a lot of mistakes and lost the ball on many occasions last evening.

"Persepolis are very experienced with very good players. Talking about my team, of course, I'm not happy. [We made] a lot of mistakes and lost the ball in many situations. Of course, the players are very tired and two or three players played with an injury. So it was very difficult to play to our 100 per cent,” said Juan Ferrando, after the loss.

With them set to face the same opposition later this week, the Spaniard feels the recovery of the players is very important, as he wants to field the best XI on the pitch. The Gaurs are currently placed at the third position in the league table with two points from three matches.

"Now for me, the most important (thing) is the recovery because in another two days (Friday) we will play against Persepolis again. We hope to improve in the details because, in the end, it's more important that all players try to do their best on the pitch. But playing against Persepolis, it's only possible to say good words about them,” added the manager.