ISL 2023-24: Happy to beat a really good team: FC Goa’s Manolo Marquez

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez was delighted after beating Kerala Blasters FC by 1-0 in the match week 8 of the Indian Super League at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa on Sunday. The Spaniard said he is happy to beat a really good team.

Rowlin Borges scored for the Gaurs at the stroke of half-time and it proved to be the difference between the two teams. With this win, FC Goa continued to stay at the top of the standings with six wins and one draw in seven matches.

“It’s nice always to check the table and see that the team is on top,” Marquez said in the post-match press conference.

“The table is not real because there are teams who have played different numbers of games. The only thing that is real is that we have only lost two points in the league and only Mohun Bagan Super Giant can surpass us,” he added.

Marquez reckons his team deserved to win but rued the fact that they didn’t take their chances. The Gaurs took a total of four shots on target and as many off it as well.

“I am happy because we faced a very good team, especially in attack. They have top players like Keprah, Luna and Rahul KP. In set pieces, they are very dangerous. They didn’t create a lot of chances and we created more chances and deserved to win the game,” he said.

“We are facing problems in killing the games. We had some clear chances and we didn’t take the chances. And then they had chances to equalise,” he added.

Marquez admitted the Yellow Tuskers are a difficult team to beat as their players always fight till the end and have a never-give-up attitude on the pitch.

“But this is my seventh or eighth match against Kerala Blasters FC and when I’ve won it’s by a one-goal margin. The character of the coach is great for their players. The team fights till the last moment and is a difficult team to beat,” he continued.
Marquez reckons there are areas in which his team can show improvement and they will look to keep getting better.

“I feel we can play better with the ball. In some moments we wanted to finish the action very quickly. Physically, the team finished the game very tired and it’s something that we need to improve,” he said.

FC Goa will next take on Mumbai City FC at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa on 12th December.