Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza applauded FC Goa’s high-pressing football after suffering their first defeat in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday.

Playing at their fort, Fatorda, the Gaurs were absolutely on top throughout the match, creating numerous attacking moves and showcasing an offensive strength against table-toppers Bengaluru FC. Manolo Marquez’s men, who only won one of the last six games previously, registered their second victory to put an end to the Blues’ six-match unbeaten run.

Armando Sadiku maintained his phenomenal form as he again opened the scoring for FC Goa in the 63rd minute. The hosts doubled the lead within nine minutes thanks to Brison Fernandes, who showcased his utmost composure, calmness, and precision to chip the ball over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, capitalising on Bengaluru FC’s defensive error.

Dejan Drazic, who won the Player of the Match award for his instrumental performance against the Blues, sealed the victory for the Gaurs in the dying minutes.

Despite Bengaluru FC conceding two goals due to individual errors during their buildup, Zaragoza commended his players for their overall performance this season. The Spaniard emphasised that his team doesn’t require additional motivation to bounce back in their next match, and urged them to learn from their mistakes.

“We are on top. I mean, if I need to motivate the players when we are on top, imagine what you are doing. That's a game that all of us know that this can happen,” Zaragoza said in the post-match press conference.

“Even though we played a good game in attack in the first half, the game was 0-0, and it's what we want to control, but we made two mistakes in that. I cannot blame anyone, because finally these buildups gave us what all the people talked about us. All the buildups gave us these 16 points that we have, and today we missed the opportunity to play a good buildup, and then the other team scored goals. That's what it is,” he continued.

A night to forget at the Fatorda. We move.#WeAreBFC #FCGBFC pic.twitter.com/a2SVidP9pk

— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) November 2, 2024

FC Goa started the match strongly, putting Zaragoza's men on the back foot from the outset. Throughout the game, the Blues struggled to challenge the FC Goa defense, managing just one shot on target. As a result, FC Goa secured their first clean sheet of the season.

“Finally, we are the away team. We are the team that has 16 points. And we are not in a rush,” he answered when asked about his side's defensive approach.

“I mean, we want to play world football, and world football is to dominate the game. The thing is that FC Goa pressed us well, and then we could not detect where the space was. Then, after the goal, it's normal. Everything is going faster,” he further added.

Zaragoza made it very clear that their main target is to finish the season at the top of the table. The Spaniard urged his players to work hard in every training session to win points from the upcoming games.

“We are working day by day. I said it many times, but today I'm going to repeat that the important thing is to be on top in March when we finish the season,” he said.

“Now it's about working day by day, game by game, winning points, and being there. Nothing else more than this,” Zaragoza signed off.