ISL 2021-22: The players worked very hard to achieve this result: FC Goa’s Derrick Pereira

FC Goa head coach Derrick Pereira was delighted with the performance of his team after they thrashed Chennaiyin FC by 5-0 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Wednesday in the 86th match of the Hero Indian Super League. Pereira said that the players have worked very hard to get a result like this.

Makan Chothe scored the opening goal for FC Goa as he found the back of the net in the sixth minute. Subsequently, Jorge Mendoza Oritz scored the hat-trick for the Gaurs on his return for the team. Furthermore, Narayan scored an own goal to make matters worse for the Marina Machans.

Addressing the media after the game, Pereira admitted that he wasn’t expecting such a huge game. He said in the post-match press conference, “Honestly, no. I expected a tough match. I think we did well, we controlled the game well, the timing of the goals was crucial and we kept the momentum going. I think the boys worked very hard to get this result. But yes, Chennaiyin FC maybe their previous match has affected their performance today”.

FC Goa totally dominated the contest and Pereira revealed that the idea was to keep the ball in the second half after the first 45 minutes. The Gaurs in total had 61% of the possession and took a total of seven shots on target.

He added, “When we went into the break, we decided to control the game. Not to allow Chennaiyin FC to settle down. So we tried to keep the ball, keep possession and try to create opportunities. Yes, we could have scored more but that was the plan for the second half”.

Speaking on the areas on which the team can improve on, the head coach added that they can come up with better finishing and balance.

He continued, “I think what we lacked earlier was the finishing, which we corrected today. And, yes we’ll be facing tougher teams, the top teams in the remaining matches so, we’ll have to be clinical upfront. And then, of course, we need to at the same time keep the balance the way we kept our balance today”.

In fact, if FC Goa win their remaining four matches, they could end up on 30 points. But still it would be difficult for them to qualify for the semi final stages. However, Pereira is not losing hope.

He concluded, “Yes, miracles do happen, anything is possible with God, which I believe in. We will take it match by match again. The next match will be a very important one, it will be tough, but we’ll go there with that mindset to put in a performance to get a good result. In the end, we see where we end up”.

FC Goa will next face ATK Mohun Bagan on Tuesday at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim.