Carlos Pena: This is not a loss that worries me

Mumbai, January 6, 2023: Despite the 3-1 defeat to Hyderabad FC at Fatorda on Thursday, FC Goa remain alive in the race for the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 playoffs thanks to their impressive performances in the first half of the season.

And according to head coach Carlos Pena, the team can ensure a spot in the top-six, provided they iron out their mistakes ahead of the upcoming games.

“This is not a loss that worries me. We made mistakes, which we’ll analyse and correct - but playing this way, we are not going to lose many games till the end. (There were) many positives today. Everyone could see that we were very close to getting at least one point,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“I think today football hasn't been fair on us. We tried, we were creating chances, we controlled the game and dominated the game for the large parts.

“In the last part of the first half and then the last minutes of the game, it was difficult for us to come back with the scoreline being 2-1, the rhythm was broken but we created chances and we couldn't convert them and I think that has been the difference,” the 38-year-old further explained.

‘We want to be close to the top teams’

FC Goa will have more opportunities to break into the top-four later this month, with matches against NorthEast United, Kerala Blasters and East Bengal FC coming up for them.

“We want to be close to the top teams, and for that you have to be always perfect in attack and defence. The performance of the team has been good,” Pena said, when asked about their prospects for the remainder of the season.

“We had chances tonight, we kept creating many and we had opportunities to score. Now, we need to think about the next game against NorthEast United FC and if we play this way, trust me we are not going to lose many games,” he concluded.

Currently in fifth, FC Goa have 19 points from 13 matches. Their upcoming clash is an away fixture against NorthEast United, at Guwahati on January 15.

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.