Playoffs chances out of hand, admits FC Goa coach Derrick Pereira after 1-1 draw against Odisha FC

FC Goa held Odisha FC in their recent Indian Super League clash as Romario Jesuraj’s late strike meant that the match ended 1-1after Jonathas had handed the lead to Odisha FC from the spot kick.

It was Airam Cabrera who had the vision and the urgency to find Jesuraj in the penalty box with a vicious delivery as the Indian winger simply tucked it in past Arshdeep Singh in goal.

After the 1-1 stalemate, FC Goa head coach Derrick Pereira attended the post-match press conference where he highlighted his thoughts about the game.

It was a pretty even game and in the end, it was a case of two errors from either defence that led to goals. So when quizzed whether the late goal and a point from the fixture give him some relief or not, Pereira said, “I would say yes, at least a point will give us to look for the next five matches.

“It would have been a disappointing result, if we had to lose this match. We went in with an intent to do well and get the three points. We had some chances to convert, which we couldn’t. The team did their best. But, by saying that, I would say some of our players need to step up a bit and try to give more than what they did.”

The Gaurs created a lot of chances but once again they were not clinical enough to convert them into goals. FC Goa’s conversion rate has been a glaring weakness this season something that even Pereira accepted. “Ours is a team where we keep the ball and look forward to create opportunities. I think we did well going forward. Yes, this has been our weakness this season – converting the chances. In each and every match we created a lot of chances, but couldn’t convert them. That has been our downfall this season.”

FC Goa will now have a nine day break as they face Chennaiyin on 10 February. So the break will give them time to analyse the areas where they have to work harder for future matches. While Pereira added that the team is desperate to get back to winning ways he also admitted that the hopes of qualifying for the playoffs are more or less over for the Gaurs.

“We will have to go back to our drawing room and see what we can do to get back into our winning ways. That has been the thought in everybody’s mind. We are putting in good performances, but somehow we end up losing or drawing the match.

“After this break, players will get time to relax their mind and get away from pressure, since it’s now out of our hands to qualify for the playoffs. So, we will give our best and look for the future,” he concluded.