FC Goa secured a narrow but crucial 1-0 victory over Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Thursday. A clinical finish from Boris Singh Thangjam in the 40th minute proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested match.

This was the third straight win for the Gaurs who moved up to fifth in the points table after a valiant performance in Kochi. FC Goa not only secured the three points but also kept a clean sheet, for the second time this season.

In the post-match press conference, FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez reflected on his team's performance, praising their ability to adapt under pressure.

"We have six foreigners, and four can play. All of them have the quality to perform, but Armando [Sadiku] and Borja [Herrera] faced physical issues this week, especially Armando in the last two days. We knew we needed to be 100% to perform in this stadium," Marquez said.

Reflecting on the match, he added: "This is the kind of game where you feel satisfied because of the effort, discipline, and positioning. But we can do more with the ball. In the second half, we can’t just defend a one-goal lead because the equaliser can come at any moment. The players put in a big effort, especially in the final minutes, when Kerala pushed a lot. We defended with a lot of order, and that made the difference."

FC Goa's win was down to their solid defensive showing in the second half as they nullified attacks from the home team. This was the first time the Gaurs kept a clean sheet away from home this season.

Marquez admitted "The atmosphere here was more difficult for us, and we were not comfortable.. Kerala (Blasters FC) started the game stronger, attacking more than us. Suddenly, we scored a goal from practically nothing and then managed the score well. At times, it felt like nothing was happening in the game, but in the final minutes, Kerala (Blasters FC) pushed hard. Because we didn’t score a second goal, the pressure increased, but we defended with a lot of order. That was key to our victory."

Speaking on defender Sandesh Jhingan, he said “I think, again, Igor Stimac said something that reflects the reality of Indian football: the most difficult player to substitute is Sandesh Jhingan. Not just for his quality, but for his leadership. He's a real leader. Whether things are going well or badly, he’s always pushing the team forward.”

The result sees the Gaurs climb to fifth in the points table with 15 points from nine matches, speaking on the player's mentality during the game, he said: “It’s more about mentality — believing they won’t score against us than anything else. Looking ahead, we face Hyderabad FC, which will be a completely different game. Every match is unique — Punjab FC at home, Bengaluru away, and tonight were all different. Sometimes, you need something more than football, and in that regard, I think we did very well."

FC Goa looks at the third consecutive win of this season, and looking ahead he remarked. “When you win three games in a row, people say you are the best, And when you lose three consecutive games, it’s ‘Go home, back to your country.' This is football, We can’t let ourselves get carried away when we win or too down when we lose. Right now, we’re in a good place with nine consecutive points in this very competitive league. It’s difficult, but we need to keep going, stay focused, and prepare.”

FC Goa will next have another away match as they go against Hyderabad FC on December 4 in Hyderabad.

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