Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera expressed his disappointment as his side fell just short against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League (ISL) at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday.

Despite the setbacks of starting with key players missing and going down to 10 men during the final leg of the match, disrupting the team’s dynamics, the Kalinga Warriors vigorously fought through the game.

Match Report: Mohun Bagan SG 1-0 Odisha FC

But the Mariners' Aussie forward Dimitri Petratos came up clutch once again to score the winner in stoppage time, confirming that his strike sealed the League Shield for his side.

Lobera expressed his pride in his team's performance despite facing significant challenges, including playing with only ten men for the final phase of the game.

"Yes, it is difficult. Because today, when your players are giving you 100%, the only thing I can tell them is that I am very proud of them because we compete very well. Against a very strong team in this sort of an environment, even when down to 10 players, we compete well. When you, as a coach, analyze the game and analyze the work that my players did, the only thing I can tell you is that I am very proud of my players," he said during the post-match press conference.

Addressing his team's chances of securing a top-six playoff spot, Lobera acknowledged the uphill battle they face, especially after the recent loss yet, he remained optimistic.

"We are going to fight until the end. Let's see what happens. Obviously, with today's loss, it is more difficult, but we are going to fight until the end—it's our spirit. In four games, we played with ten players. It's so difficult when you are competing against strong teams with only ten players. It is difficult, but we need to continue working until the end," he shared.

Despite the setbacks of playing with a reduced squad in several games, he urged the players to keep believing and push through the final two matches to stay in the playoff race.

"Obviously, it's tough when there are key players who are going to be missing from the team for upcoming games. When you don't have the full squad, you have problems. Today, when Diego (Mauricio) woke up, he couldn't train because he wasn't well enough. When this kind of situation happens, obviously, we cannot try to find excuses. We need to try to find solutions as coaches. We are going to continue to compete well, even in these kinds of situations, the Spaniard stated.

Finally, Lobera emphasized that while the current situation is challenging, the team remains focused on finding solutions to improve their performance.

"We are one of the teams who scored more goals. Trying to find the balance is the most important thing, but I think we did well today also with the ball in transitions, and defending a very strong opponent. I am happy with today's performance of the team, he said as he concluded.