Goa: In the 4th set of matches in the ongoing AFC Champions League, FC Goa are set to take on Persepolis FC yet again, hoping to better their performance this time round. Al Rayyan will also look to avenge their previous last-minute upset in the hands of Al Wahda in the first match of the day.

FC Goa’s thoughts

FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando knows it’s not going to be easy. His players have given it their heart, body, and soul, and tiredness is creeping in at an alarming pace. The intense levels of the ACL and the tight schedules haven’t helped much either.

“We cannot give any excuses. We are all football professionals and need to do what needs to be done. My boys are up for the challenge. Like always, the aim is to get 3 points. Certain players are injured, while the rest are almost on the verge of it. Edu’s injury is as serious as that of Mohammad Ali earlier.”

“All the substitutions made in the previous game, including that of Adil Khan was a tactical decision and not because the players weren’t playing well. I needed to change from a 4-3-3 formation to a more attacking one, and Adil had to be sacrificed to achieve that.” he added.

Midfielder Brandon Fernandes, who was present at the press conference said that he was happy with how he has performed, and is looking forward to give a better account of himself in the coming matches. On being asked if a move to other European leagues is on his mind, he said that though it has always been a dream, he would currently like to focus on the golden opportunity at hand, that of the AFC Champions League.

“ACL is more intense and quicker than what we are used to in the ISL. We hardly get any time on the ball here. For me personally, the aim is to score goals, and to do that, I try to keep the ball directed within the frame (of the goalpost). Even on set pieces, the idea is to put the ball into proper spaces, making it easy for my teammates to score off it. We practice this a lot during training sessions.” he concluded.

Persepolis is all praise for Goa

Once again, the Persepolis FC coach Yahya Golmohammadi was all praises for FC Goa’s performance. “They are a very, very good team, and we need to be careful of them. Even today, I expect it to be a tough, intense encounter but my boys are ready for the challenge.”

“The 9 points we have got so far is not a fluke, it is the result of hard work, our fitness, training and the good wishes of all the people of Iran. Persepolis players come with a never surrender attitude and a winning mentality. We are never bored of winning and that motivates us to perform better.” he signed off.
Player Vahid Amiri had very few words to say. “Our fitness levels are pretty good, so I know that we can prove ourselves and get 3 more points.”

Al Wahda speaks

On behalf of Al Wahda, coach Henk Ten Cate and player Lee Myung Joo were present at the press conference. Looking back on the earlier match, Cate said that their scheduling disadvantage had actually turned into an advantage. “After having had an early kickoff for most of our matches, our players have gotten accustomed to playing at the 8pm slot. However, for Al Rayyan it was their first game at this time slot, so you could see how their players’ bodies gave up by the hour mark. That is when we accelerated and managed to win.”

“This match is more important for them than it is for us. A draw for us is no issue, but a draw for them most certainly means the end of their qualification hopes.” he quipped.

Lee Myung Joo said he was pretty happy with the way things have been going. “We are happy with our first win, and feel motivated to perform better in the coming games. With regard to facilities, we have no reason to complain as the hotel, staff and other things are good.”

Al Rayyan’s perspective

Despite the loss against Al Wahda, Laurent Blanc, the coach of Al Rayyan said that there would be no change in the style of play, philosophy or vision for this game. “We deserved to win the previous game 2-0. I’m not happy that we lost, but that doesn’t mean we change anything. We need to have control of the game from start to end.”

“We can talk about luck, but not in football. Maybe in life, we have luck, but in football, it all boils down to our mistakes and faults. We need to upgrade ourselves, both defensively and as a team. However, I cannot simply praise my forwards and blame my defenders as football is a team sport.” he concluded.

Player Ibrahim Masoud who was present at the press conference said he was disappointed about the last game’s results. “As players, we did put in effort but momentarily lost concentration and focus, which made all the difference. We will try to fix this in the next three games and make our fans proud. Also, we cannot blame Ramadan as you saw what we achieved on the pitch. Sadly, the results don’t show our efforts on the pitch.”

AFC Cup 2021 match postponed

While Bengaluru FC’s AFC Cup match scheduled to happen on April 28th at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim has been postponed until further updates, the AFC Champions League Group E matches at Fatorda shall continue as scheduled despite the night curfew imposed in the state of Goa.

However, it needs to be noted that the postponement of Bengaluru FC’s matches has nothing to do with the night curfew in the state, but rather due to the earlier qualifier match between Abahani Dhaka and FC Eagles still awaiting conclusion as a result of a lockdown in Bangladesh, the host country.

Image Courtesy: FC  Goa media team