FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez was delighted as his team saw off Oman’s Al Seeb Club in the preliminary stage encounter of the AFC Champions League Two to qualify for the group stages of the competition on Wednesday.

Dejan Drazic and Javier Siverio were on the scoresheet for the Gaurs as they confirmed their spot in the ACL Two group stage.

FC Goa had to dig deep to see off the 2022 ACL Two winners but the Spanish head coach believes his team showed the right discipline needed to win a game of this magnitude.

“It was a very difficult game. In these kinds of games, in some moments you need some good luck, but I feel that we played with a lot of order,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“We scored two goals and every time that we arrived, I felt that we were very dangerous. They are a fantastic team. We were playing against a team who have eight starters in the national team of Oman who are still playing for the next World Cup,” he added.

The Gaurs were forced to dig deep and defend something that you don’t usually associate with them in the Indian Super League (ISL). But they dug deep and ensured that they secured the result they needed.

The Spaniard felt the effort his team put out on the pitch wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the fans.

“The first ten minutes, they started very well, very strongly. They had very good combinations on the right side and completely different styles on the other side,” he said.

“But all the credit is for our players, for our crowd. Because without them, for sure, it would be impossible to win this game,” he added.

Also Read:ACL Two group stage draw: Date, timing and potential opponents for FC Goa, MBSG

New signing Javier Siverio scored his first goal for the club and it couldn’t have been more significant for his new team. Marquez has words of praise for his forward.

“It's the third time that I have Javier (Siverio) in my team. He was my player in the B team in Las Palmas. Even he played one game with the main team in Las Palmas. He was with me in Hyderabad and now he's here in Goa,” Marquez said.

“I know him. Maybe he's not the nicest player to see. But he will score goals till the day that he passes away. He will always score goals,” he added.

Drazic was equally pleased to help the team qualify for the ACL Two group stages and felt the Gaurs had to overcome a very strong team to achieve it.

“I think this team from Oman deserves a lot of respect. We suffered too much. But finally, we showed the heart, we showed not just the quality, we showed that we have something more,” he said.

“Personally it was nice to score a goal. We are going to Asia. This goal takes us to Asia. It's always nice to score in Goa. I’d like to thank the fans who came to support us for this important game,” he concluded.

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