FC Goa failed to nestle the back of the net for the first time this season against FC Pune City, as they fell to their first home defeat of Hero Indian Super League 2017-18 on Saturday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa. The hosts kept probing and put together some incisive attacks, but the visitors ensured that counter-attacks took them by surprise. After the high-octane match, the Gaurs’ 25-year old midfielder Mandar Rao Dessai spoke to indiansuperleague.com about the match. Here are the excerpts.

What are your thoughts on the game?

It was a tough game. We were expecting three points but in the second half we conceded two goals on the counter-attack.

What was the half-time team talk about?

We wanted to score in the second half. Both the teams played well. In the second half, we wanted to score and take the advantage, but the thing is, we conceded the goals and again we conceded a goal in the last ten minutes, so it was difficult for us to come back.

How difficult was it to create chances?

He (Ferran Corominas) tried his best, but it’s football. Sometimes you miss, sometimes you score. We have a lot of games left. We have played one less, and we need to take advantage in the next game.

What are your thoughts on the physicality of the game today?

They came strong against us here because we were playing at home. They wanted to win against us, and we wanted to win and go top of the table. But it was a tough game for us, and we need to do better next time.