FC Goa took a big step forward towards confirming their spot in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 final with a resounding 5-1 victory over Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in the first leg of the semi-final 2 on Saturday. Goals from Mourtada Fall (brace), Jackichand Singh, Ferran Corominas and Brandon Fernandes sealed the victory for the Gaurs after Rafael Bastos had initially given the hosts the lead.

From Goa’s end, a delighted Sergio Lobera was present to share his thoughts at the post-match press conference. "First of all, we are very happy with the result and also because of the work of the team. But this is football. In the past, we have seen many things happening. We have to be humble and avoid overconfidence. We have to approach the second leg with the same excitement," he said.

Asked about his opinion on his players' performance on the night, Lobera replied, "Naveen (Kumar) has done a great job today. Mourtada Fall was awarded the Hero of the Match. I am happy with the work of the whole team. We had many chances to score more so I am very happy with the performance of the team."

Quizzed about his pre-match advice to the players before the big fixture, Lobera revealed, "Sometimes when you approach the semi-finals thinking you have 180 minutes and then you have a second chance when you play at home – that would be a mistake. The way I told the players to approach the semi-finals is to take each game as they come."

From the Mumbai camp, head coach Jorge Costa took questions from the media. The Portuguese coach was evidently crestfallen and conceded that his side is all but out of the competition. "In the second half, we were making mistakes. Against Goa, with the quality they have, you cannot expect anything more than to lose. It is not easy. I don’t believe in miracles. I don’t believe we have the potential to change the result. We must go there to give our respect to the club, be professional and give our best in the second leg. Congratulations to Goa and I wish them all the best for the final," he stated.

Despite the heavy defeat, Costa opined that he would have played exactly the same team had he been given a second chance. "I would have played exactly the same team. Exactly the same eleven. It is too easy to analyse things after the game, but it is difficult to make decisions before. We took risks, we knew the problems we had before the season. This is not a result that we wanted, but I am very proud of our performance this season," he remarked.

Click here to read the match report.