ISL 2023-24: We are going to fight till the end of the season – Odisha FC’s Sergio Lobera after win against Punjab FC

Odisha FC’s head coach Sergio Lobera said they are going to fight till the end of the season after their 3-1 win against Punjab FC in the 20th match week of the Indian Super League at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday.

Diego Mauricio scored the opening goal for the home team in the 34th minute but the Shers were quick to equalize as Madih Talal found the back of the net after four minutes.

Vanlalruatfela scored in the 61st minute to give a 2-1 lead to the hosts whereas Mauricio put the game to bed with his second strike in the 68th minute.

“I am very happy and I am very proud of my players because it’s so difficult to recover well, after playing the previous game three days ago,” stated Lobera at the post-match press conference.

Analyzing the match, he said, “I think the big problem for us in the first half was that we rushed. We wanted to arrive very quickly at the opponent’s goal. And we were playing against a team that, for me, is the best team in counter-attack actions.”

“I am very happy because it’s three very important points for us,” he added.

Meanwhile, with this win at home, Odisha FC became only the third team in the history of ISL to finish a season unbeaten at home after Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos.

The Spaniard gave credit to the team’s medical support for managing the team’s workload and keeping them fresh during hectic scheduling.

“We are winning points because at the end of this crazy season with this crazy calendar, not speaking about only ISL as we were playing three competitions. They (the players and the staff) are doing an amazing job. The players are making an amazing effort and we need to be proud. We need to be proud of our team, our family, medical staff, fitness coach, and everyone who is involved with the team. Because it’s not easy to achieve these numbers at home,” he said.

Odisha FC will next take on Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Monday.