Mumbai City FC held FC Goa to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of Semi-final 1 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium on Friday. Igor Angulo gave FC Goa the lead from the penalty spot before Hugo Boumous restored parity between the two sides. After Saviour Gama scored FC Goa’s second goal in the second half, three minutes later Mourtada Fall headed the ball into the net to level the score.

At the post-match press conference, Mumbai City FC head coach Sergio Lobera was unhappy that his team were unable to control the game or convert their chances. “I don't think we were lucky [to get away with a draw] because we had more chances to score. We have to be more clinical. We had more control of the game, but we were playing against a team who like to keep the ball. We had more clear chances than the opponents. I am not happy because we did not have enough control of the game,” he said.

The Spaniard chose to drop his regular centre-back Hernan Santana for Hugo Boumous but the gamble did not entirely pay off. Lobera said that he chose a more attacking formation given that FC Goa were playing without Ivan Gonzalez and Alberto Noguera. “The selection of the players was difficult. I have a very good squad. I wanted to be more offensive because they are missing some players and we wanted to take advantage of this.”

Mandar Rao Dessai was playing in an unfamiliar right-back role, and his head coach was appreciative of the experienced defender’s efforts even though he conceded the penalty after a foul on Jorge Ortiz early in the game. “[Mohamad] Rakip is not 100% fit because of injury. It was a big effort from Mandar, who had to play in an unfamiliar position against a very good player like Ortiz. A big effort from Adam [le Fondre] as well, helping out Mandar,” said Lobera.

Watch Sergio Lobera's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando put down his side’s defensive frailties to injuries and suspensions. Seriton Fernandes too had to be replaced after the hour mark after a hamstring injury. “It was sometimes good but in the transition we made the same mistakes. Because of injuries, it is hard to field the same line-up,” Ferrando said.

“We played with six players on the pitch who were 100% fit. The rest of the players had problems. It is tough to play in these conditions. Our mentality is to always win, but sometimes we cannot win,” the Spanish head coach added.

Ferrando though was happy with the performance of Leander D’Cunha who took the place of Seriton. “I am very happy because Leander has not been able to make it to the matchday squad. He got the opportunity in the semi-final, and I am happy with his performance,” he said.

The second leg between the sides will be played at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Monday.

Watch Juan Ferrando's Post-Match Press conference here: