Margao (Goa) [India], October 3 : FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance despite securing a 1-0 victory in the Indian Super League (ISL) against Punjab FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Monday.
Both teams had numerous opportunities throughout the match, but it was Carlos Martinez's goal that ultimately made the difference. While FC Goa started their ISL 2023-24 campaign with a win, Punjab FC remained winless after two games and had yet to earn any points.
Marquez didn't mince words when assessing his team's performance and conveyed his disappointment.
“The best thing that I can say is that we won the game. I’m very disappointed with the performance of the team,” Marquez said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ISL's website.
Despite FC Goa keeping a clean sheet against Punjab FC, Marquez was dissatisfied that his team didn't seal the game earlier. The Gaurs had a total of seven shots on target but managed to score only one goal.
“The opponent created some clear chances. In the defensive line, the team was more or less okay. I’m very angry with the performance,” Marquez stated.
“We won because we have good players and the quality of the players decided one action (the goal) decided the game. It’s true that we played well in the first 20 minutes in the second half. We kept the ball, we took the ball but when you don't score the second goal, during the last minute the fear appears (of conceding). The risk is normal and you have to score in one counter-attack and finish the game but we didn't do it. The best thing is three points, but we need to improve in all aspects of the game,” he added.
FC Goa is set to face Odisha FC in their next challenge, a team that remains undefeated this season. Marquez called for consistency and stability from his squad in match situations.
“We will win games, but we will lose games (too). In my opinion, the team with a lot of ups and downs, so it’s difficult for them to have a good season. We need to have better balance in the team. Today we played good (for) some minutes, then nothing.. (and so on). This is impossible. We need to improve and we have to improve. The only way that I know is to keep going and work hard,” Marquez explained.
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