Mumbai City FC missed their opportunity of going top of the 2016 Hero Indian Super League table after losing 1-0 to FC Goa at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday. Richarlyson scored the only goal of the game in the 41st minute to hand Alexandre Guimaraes' men their second loss of the season. The former Costa Rica manager, however, refused to read too much into the defeat and instead chose to praise his players' spirit on the pitch.“It was a complete game. The team who had the chance and scored won. Both teams were very cautious in the first half. Then both teams had their chances. In the second-half, we tried to make changes to at least get a draw. I think all the players showed their spirit to go and give their all. But unfortunately, in the final third we didn't get the right ball,” Guimaraes told reporters at the post-match press conference.He continued: “So now we have to keep in mind that some of our players are injured. Sometimes this happens when you play six games in less than 20 days. So, next we go to play against Atlético de Kolkata to get the points that we didn't get today.”The match also witnessed the return of marquee player Diego Forlan after three matches. Forlan had played a crucial role in both his previous starts for Mumbai having provided an assist and scored a goal. However, he had a quiet outing on Friday and Guimaraes believes it was down to the tight marking on the former Manchester United forward. “He did exactly what we asked of him. I feel they mark him with two players sometimes. Like I said we didn't have the penetration required when we moved forward. Now he has the chance to play more often, so he will be more involved.” he said.When asked for his thoughts on his side's new-look defence in the absence of Anwar Ali, Guimaraes said: “We had to take Anwar Ali out for precaution. Last game against Delhi Dynamos FC he had some difficulty. So, we had to make the change. I feel in the defence, we didn't have too many problems with Aiborlang Khongjee playing there and Ashutosh Mehta playing on the right.”Guimaraes also commented on the Indian national team's recent 11-place jump up the FIFA rankings to 137th spot. “I am very glad. Because all of this is for the growth of football in India. The national team is also important. I can say so because I have like almost 100 caps for my national team. I would like to congratulate them. This is really good for Indian Football,” he said.
