Match 13 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 was an absolute cracker, as NorthEast United FC and FC Goa shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. The Gaurs had taken the lead through Hugo Boumous in the first half, but the Highlanders hit back thanks to goals from Asamoah Gyan and Redeem Tlang. However, despite receiving a red card, the visitors found a way back and equalised through Manvir Singh.

After the fixture, both coaches spoke at the post-match press conference and shared their opinions on the encounter. The Highlanders boss, Robert Jarni went first, summing up the game as a tale of two halves. “They started the game very well. in the first 25 minutes, they were very strong. They had a few chances to increase their lead, but didn’t convert it. But then in the second half, we started very well”

“We created a few chances and converted two of them. We were leading, but at the end, the points were shared. So, they started better but in the second half, we played better than them. The feeling is that both teams played very good, but we lost two points. When players saw their character and their intensity, we proved that we can play against every team. So, congratulations to the players.”

Revealing his half-time team talk, the Croatian said, “After the first half an hour, the team started to play better. At half-time, I told them to play with confidence and to believe in their abilities. And they did it in the second half.”

Jarni also felt that drama towards the end of the fixture affected his team’s concentration and led to Goa’s equaliser. “Yes, it’s possible (that our concentration was affected) because when these kind of things happen, people lose control a little bit. It’s normal. The players are at 200 beats per minute. So, it’s normal. But we have to control the situations to avoid problems like this one.”

FC Goa head coach, Sergio Lobera meanwhile, expressed his thorough dissatisfaction at his team’s inability to convert their chances. He said, “I am not happy with one point because I think in the first five minutes, it is possible to score two or three goals. The first 30 minutes maybe is the best 30 minutes of the season for my team and when you create a lot of chances, it’s necessary to score because sometimes, it’s possible that if we don’t score our chances, the opponent team (scores theirs).”

“I think we have had a lot of chances to win the match. And in the final moments, it’s possible to win the match. It’s the second match in which we scored in injury time and this is a good thing because my team believes till the end. And I think it’s good to have a positive attitude, but I am not happy with one point. Because if we managed the match well, today it was possible to get three points.”

The Spaniard also dismissed suggestions that he would consider changing his philosophy to combat the physical approach oppositions revert to when coming up against his team. “I think opponent teams suffer a lot when we have the ball. In the first 30 minutes, NorthEast is a very strong team, but they suffered a lot of in the 30 minutes. It was possible to score three goals and the match would have been done. I think it’s not necessary to change our style because it’s important for us and we are strong when we play in this way.”

Read the Match Report here.