FC Goa succumbed to a 3 – 0 defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin FC in the second leg of the second semi-final of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on  Tuesday. The hosts progressed to the final with a 4 – 1 aggregate victory, but the Gaurs had their moments, especially during the opening quarter of an hour when they had their opponents on the ropes.

Speaking to the media at the post-match press conference was their head coach Sergio Lobera, who admitted that while they controlled the game in the early stages, two lapses cost them dearly. “We were exceptional in the first 25 minutes and much better compared to our opponents,” he inferred. “We had opportunities to put ourselves ahead in the score-line. The difficult part of it is that within two-three minutes, there are a couple of mistakes that took the game away from us. But I think it was the best 25 minutes we played in the entire season.”

When analysing his team as a whole though, the Spaniard was pleased with the performances Goa had put on over course of the season. “I think we have to analyse the team and not just individual players,” Lobera stated. “There were two players who did a lot for us in the entire season, but so did the rest of the team. This is a difficult moment, but we have to take positives out of it. But if we were to do a whole analysis of the season, we should be very positive and happy about the way we reached the semi-final.”

Elaborating on the two quick goals they conceded, “It is true that when you are playing so well in a game and you suddenly concede a goal, it affects your gameplay. And conceding two in four minutes affects it even more. I think it cost us and it was difficult to get ourselves up and back into the game,” the 41-year-old said before adding, “There were two errors at the point where I think we were superior. And sometimes these are the things that make the game.”

Lobera concluded by saying, “I am very happy with the performance of the team and the performance of the Indian players. And from hereon we have to analyse what areas we can improve on and plan for the next season.”