Carlos Pena: Loss of focus at times cost us

Mumbai, December 29, 2022: FC Goa could not replicate the quality in their performance from the home clash against ATK Mohun Bagan earlier this season, as they succumbed 2-1 at the hands of the Mariners in the return fixture held in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Although Anwar Ali netted his first ever goal for the club to keep the Gaurs in the hunt for a win till the end of the first half, goals on either side of the break by Dimitri Petratos and Hugo Boumous gave Juan Ferrando’s side the three points at the end of the 90 minutes.

Speaking after the clash, FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena commented that their loss of focus at crucial moments paved the way for what was FC Goa’s fifth loss in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season.

“I think it was a very equal game. In the first half, they scored first with the action of the striker (Petratos) and we were not focused at that moment,” he explained.

“But the team came back. We started controlling the game and playing in the opposition half. We equalized before half-time and we went into the dressing room with a good feeling. The game was nearly where we wanted (it to be).

"But in the second half, we made a big mistake knowing that they are very dangerous in transitions and they punished us in one of them. 

“After that, we tried, but with no order. We created less chances than what we wanted. I tried to make some changes, but it didn’t work and we couldn’t get the three points.”

‘Will continue fighting for playoff spots’

Earlier in the day, the 38-year-old made as many as four changes to the Goa playing XI that started in their previous match against Jamshedpur FC. The Spaniard revealed his reasons for this, saying, “I decided to put Alvaro (Vazquez) and Iker (Guarrotxena) to control the ball more. I felt that Alvaro could give us more continuity during the game.

“I thought that Noah (Sadaoui) could help us maybe in the second half with his pace and in finding spaces. But then, we had problems with injuries in the second half as well, and we couldn’t follow the plan."

Despite the setback at Kolkata, Carlos Pena maintains that the Men in Orange are well on their way to qualify for the playoffs.

"We are going to be in the playoff race. We have eight more games remaining and we will have all the chances to make the top six. We will keep fighting and we will move on to the next game which we have at home (against Hyderabad FC).

“This team is not going to give up. Today, we can be sad and things are difficult for us. But we will keep working and move on to the next game,” the head coach concluded.

About FC Goa

FC Goa is a professional football club based out of Goa that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL). Nicknamed the Gaurs, FC Goa has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the ISL - reaching 4 semi-finals and 2 finals in 8 seasons.

Heading into the 2022-23 season of the HISL, FC Goa holds the record for most wins, most goals, most golden boots and most number of playoff appearances in the history of the competition.

FC Goa became the first team from India to qualify for the league stages of the AFC Champions League in 2021 by virtue of winning the first-ever Hero ISL League Winners Shield in the 2019-20 season. 

The Gaurs trophy cabinet is also adorned by the 2019 Super Cup, the 2018-19 GFA Pro League,  and the 2021 Durand Cup. 

Co-owned by Mr Jaydev Mody, Mr Akshay Tandon and Mr Virat Kohli, FC Goa is one of the few Indian Clubs to have a complete youth development ecosystem. Its U14, U16, U18 and Developmental Teams compete at the highest levels in Goa and India.