ISL 2019 | May be some of our players were thinking about final, says Sergio Lobera
After a one-goal defeat in the second leg of the semi-final, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera has stated that some of his players might have been thinking about the final and didn't want to risk injury. The Goa coach also said that Ahmed Jahouh was not in a good form and that is why he was substituted.
With a huge 5-1 win in the away leg, the Gaurs already had one leg into the finals with yesterday’s game only a mere formality. However, the Islanders were off to a great start as Rafael Bastos scored an early goal in just the sixth minute of the match. But, the visitors had a tough task ahead of them considering the huge margin and Goa didn’t give them another chance to reduce the deficit during the game.
After entering the final with a final aggregate score of 5-2, Lobera has expressed his satisfaction over the team’s performance in the tournament so far but has also said that the players were worried about injuries during the second leg of the semi-final as they had the final in their minds.
"Well, it is always obvious that we want to win. But, it is a big day for us because we have achieved a big thing. What we will be thinking of now is that what we can achieve in the big game. We got the hardest thing done early as we got the big result in Mumbai, Lobera said after the match, reported Goal.Â
"I was not expecting the kind of first half we had, it was not good for us. But, to a certain extent, this can be normal because of the huge advantage we brought from Mumbai and the final being so close. Maybe some of the players were already thinking of playing the final and not getting injured."
Defensive midfielder Jahouh had a poor day on the pitch against Mumbai City FC as he failed to keep the possession on the ball more often than not. He was also booked by the referee in the first half after bringing down Modou Sougou which prompted Lobera to replace him with Edu Bedia.
"He got the yellow card and he was losing possession in midfield. Today, I do not think he was at his best," the Goa coach said.
The Gaurs will now meet Bengaluru FC, who have entered the final for the second time in a row by defeating NorthEast United FC, on Sunday in Mumbai. FC Goa
"If you look only at the two losses against them then, Bengaluru are the favourites. We are going to approach this final with nothing less than a fight,” explained Lobera.
"From these two games we learn from our mistakes, pick where we have done right and keep repeating those rights. I believe the final will be completely different than the two games we have had already. For that reason, we cannot look back."