ISL 2023-24: As a coach, I can only be proud of my players – Sergio Lobera after loss against Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera said he can only be proud of his players after their 2-0 (3-2 aggregate) loss against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the second-leg semi-final of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday.

Jason Cummings and Syed Abdul Samad scored for the Mariners to help them secure their ISL final berth. The Kalinga Warriors had 53.8% possession and took four shots on target.

When asked if his players felt any pressure to play in front of a big crowd, “I think it’s amazing. When you are playing in a practically full stadium, it means you are playing for something important.”

“This is the kind of game you want to play as a coach and as a player because it’s amazing to have this atmosphere. I don’t think my team felt any pressure playing in this atmosphere, in this environment. I think they did an amazing job. We need to congratulate the opponent, Mohun Bagan Super Giant because they played a good game,” Lobera added.

The Spaniard feels his team’s performance was better in the second half but they could not grab to score the goal.

“But for me, in my opinion, the first half was for them. The second half was for us. We had our chance to score the goal. But finally, we conceded the goal in the last moment,” he said.

“As a coach, when you are coming back to the dressing room and you are thinking, what I can ask more from my players but the answer is nothing because they did everything. Finally, it’s not about what you got or what you get. It’s about what you deserve. And I think we deserved more in the second half,” the Spaniard shared further.

Meanwhile, earlier in the season, Odisha FC made it to the final of the Kalinga Super Cup but lost to East Bengal FC. Furthermore, Odisha FC finished the league stage of the ISL in fourth place with 11 wins in 22 games with six draws and five losses.

“I think only I can tell my players, ‘Thank you so much, and congratulations for the season. It was an amazing season.’ We know that when I signed up for this club, I knew it was going to be the biggest challenge in my career. But at the end of the season, looking back, I think the players did an amazing job,” he opined.

“Finishing top of the table in the AFC Cup against strong teams like Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bashundhara Kings, and reaching the final in the Kalinga Super Cup. We were in one minute to reach another final. We lost the final in the last minute,” he added.