After two defeats in a row, FC Goa shift goals, now hunt for points

Panaji: Even though FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez never made it known, there is no denying that many at the club believed they had an outside chance of making it to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Two.

The win against Oman Professional League champions Al Seeb in the playoff boosted Goa’s confidence and the group stage draw provided renewed hope.

Then, the start against Al Zawraa, from the Iraq Stars League, in the group opener, made many think they were as good as other teams in the competition. Manolo’s side eventually lost the home clash 2-0 and were grounded again by Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol at the Central Stadium in Hisor on Wednesday

In the four-team group, Goa are at the bottom with no goals and no point after two matches. Al-Nassr FC, expectedly, are on top with an all-win record, while Al Zawraa and Istiklol both have two points each, after their wins against Goa.

“In football, the target changes constantly,” Manolo told reporters after the 2-0 loss against Istiklol in Tajikistan. “Our first target was to defeat Al Seeb and qualify for the group stage. We did that and now (after two defeats), I’d like to get some points. Next, we have two games against Al-Nassr which are very difficult.

“Today (against Istiklol), we played worse than the game against Al Zawraa at home. We played well and could have got a better score (against the Iraq giants). We have to now work, work, and work, with focus not just on the Al-Nassr game, but also the Super Cup, which is an important competition in our country.”

Goa were far from their best against Istiklol in a game which they had to win to stay alive in the race for a knockout spot. Second-half strikes by Rustam Soirov and Reza Dehghani gave the hosts their first win, following their 5-0 loss to Al Nassr Club on the opening day.

“We played a decent first half, not the first minutes where we were scared. After some minutes, the team was okay. In fact, in the first half, I don't remember clear chances for Istiklol, but when you concede a goal in the first minute of the second half, all the hard work (of the first half) is undone. We tried everything, and I cannot complain about the players’ effort. Even with the substitutions, the team didn’t improve,” said Manolo.

The experienced Spanish coach felt Istiklol deserved to win the game.

“Today was not a good day. I feel we can play better. We started the second half as equals, and if they had not scored for the first 10-15 minutes, then you can control the game. We conceded in the first minute itself (of the second half). We tried to make things work by substituting the right side; right back and right winger, but the level of Istiklol was better than ours,” said Manolo.

The players have now been given a week off from training and will resume training next week for the big clash against Saudi Arabia giants Al-Nassr, captained by Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.