ISL 2022-23: I think we competed well but the opposition was better – Josep Gombau

Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau admitted Mumbai City was better than them but they competed well after they suffered a 4-2 loss at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Monday. All six goals were scored in the second half by both teams.

LZ Chhangte opened the scoring for the tourists but the home team bounced back after Diego Mauricio scored in the 62nd minute. However, Bipin Singh once again put the Islanders in front as he scored after seven minutes.

Chhangte then scored his second of the night in the 80th minute whereas Noguera was able to put the game to bed in the 86th minute. Mauricio scored his brace in the 90th minute to give a consolation goal to his team.

“I think we played a decent game against a very strong opposition. The loss that we suffered today is because they (Mumbai City FC) did very well. I don’t see a big mistake. Of course, you need to analyze the game. I think that we competed very well, we had our momentum, trying to be in the game, but at the very end the opposition team had a lot of quality and in the last 25 minutes, they were better and they scored more also. Just congratulate them and keep going,” Gombau said in the post-match press conference.

Gombau feels his team missed key players against Mumbai City FC but doesn’t want to use that as an excuse.

“We missed some players. But I don’t want to use this as an excuse. At the end, we play 11 against 11, and for me, the important players are those who played the game today. It is true that we missed key players. We don’t have extra players on the bench who can bring the extra power at the last minute. Now it is important to recover people for the next game, recover the players and go strong in the next game, which is an important one,” the head coach said.

Despite the loss, one positive for the Kalinga Warriors was the fact Diego Mauricio scored a brace for the hosts. Gombau feels this performance will add a shot in Mauricio’s arm and also give confidence to the team.

“Diego Mauricio scored two goals today. This will bring him a lot of power for the next game. We need him. We need his goals. I am happy with his performance as I am happy with the performance of the team, honestly. This is what we expect from him. I’m happy with the two very good goals. This will bring extra motivation to him and also the confidence to all of us. Just try to forget today’s game and start preparing for the next one,” he said.

Odisha FC will next take on East Bengal FC at the same venue of Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Saturday.