FC Goa beat Jamshedpur FC by a comfortable 5-0 margin at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. The win ensures Goa finish top of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 league table and consequently earn a place in the AFC Champions League 2021 group stage, making them the first Indian club to feature in Asia's premier club competition.

After the match, Goa interim head coach Clifford Miranda expressed his delight at his team’s historic achievement and said, “It’s a great feeling. Right from the beginning, it was one of the objectives of the club to qualify for the AFC Champions League by coming first in the league table. It’s a great feeling to have met the objective.”

“Credits to the club, the management, the technical staff; past and present, Sergio Lobera, Derrick Pereira. We can’t forget the players and the fans, who have been supporting the club unconditionally. The club deserves this and so does everybody associated with the club,” he continued.

Asked about the secret behind Goa’s sensational performances so far this season, Miranda opined, “We have some good individual players, but at the end of the day, football is a team effort. We have a very good team which has been together for a very long time. Individual players do make a difference. We have the likes of Ferran Corominas, Hugo Boumous, and so many fantastic players who make a difference with their brilliance but in the end, we are a team. We play together. What has brought us this far is the team effort.”

Coming to the match, Miranda summarised the contest and noted, “Despite the scoreline being 5-0, it was a very difficult game for us.  In fact, till the 60th minute it was an even game. Jamshedpur were very strong and were out to prove a point because it was their last game of the season. Thankfully we got the second goal and the third and fourth followed quickly. That is when the match tilted in our favour.”

Read the Match Report here.