ISL 2023-24: FC Goa deserved to win the game: Jamshedpur FC’s Scott Cooper

Jamshedpur FC head coach Scott Cooper admitted FC Goa deserved to win the game against them after their 1-0 loss in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Monday. FC Goa were able to take three crucial points after Victor Rodriguez scored the only goal of the night.

Jamshedpur FC took a solitary shot on target whereas FC Goa took eight shots on target. In fact, Jamshedpur FC had 55% possession but could not make the most of it against the Gaurs as they failed to create any serious chances.

Furthermore, the visitors completed 424 passes whereas the hosts had 343 passes but it all went in vain in the end.

“We can say that we had more passes, but that is just passing. We have to look at the final third. We had two chances to score early on in the game, and we hit the target just once,” Scott Cooper said in the post-match press conference.

“We advanced the ball and got into the defensive third of FC Goa. When we got there, the decision-making was poor. The decisions in that last third cost us the game,” he further stated.

“When FC Goa scored, we woke up a little bit, and then we started penetrating and going for it a little more. If that energy, aggression, and quality were present in the game from the start, we would have probably won the game,” he added.

Cooper congratulated the hosts for their well-deserved win. The Englishman reckons the opposition played in a direct manner, which helped them savor success.

“Congratulations to FC Goa; they are a good team, and we have to respect that,” Cooper said. “FC Goa played more direct today, which surprised me a little bit. Overall, they deserved to win the game today,” he added.

“We have to get to the training ground and get players to be a bit more composed in the final third of the pitch,” Cooper said.

Jamshedpur FC will next take on Odisha FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on Friday.