Third-placed FC Goa were held to a 1-1 draw by SC East Bengal in Match 75 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium on Friday. The Gaurs took the lead in the first half thanks to an Igor Angulo goal but SC East Bengal skipper Daniel Fox scored the equaliser in the second to secure a point for his team.

At the post-match press conference, SC East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler lauded his team’s performance, especially in the second half. “We are a team that has massively improved. It’s a game that we dominated, and we had a lot of chances but could not put them into the net. There are a lot of positives but the only negative is that we have not won the game and we missed a few chances.

“Performance-wise, we were outstanding in the second half against FC Goa as well as against Mumbai City FC in the last game. We have played Goa twice and we should have beaten them twice. This shows how well we have done,” he said.

SC East Bengal are currently 10th on the league table but are only six points from the top four spots. Speaking about his team’s chances of making it to the semi-finals, Fowler said: “There have been a lot of draws around us. We are just six points behind fourth place. Until it is mathematically impossible to make it the top four, we will keep plugging on. We have shown that we are a team that is capable of getting results.”

Watch Robbie Fowler's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, FC Goa assistant coach Clifford Miranda, who was in charge of the team in the absence of Juan Ferrando, was satisfied with one point. “Yes, I am happy with a draw. We played with 10 men [after Edu Bedia was sent off] and we suffered a lot, so I would say that I am happy with a draw. But then again, the way we played in the first half, I think that the three points were there for the taking,” he said.

The Gaurs looked like the more threatening side in the first half and even took the lead, but SC East Bengal clawed their way back into the game in the second 45 minutes. “We pressed them very well, especially in the first half. We won a lot of balls and we recovered a lot of balls as well. We pressed them after losing the ball. We were very good in the first half. Sometimes, the momentum can switch to the opponents in football. The same thing happened to us,” Miranda said.

Watch Clifford Miranda's Post-Match Press conference here: