FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez expressed satisfaction with his team's performance in the second half as they secured a commanding victory over Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Friday.

In the first half, FC Goa created numerous chances but found themselves frustrated by Hyderabad FC's resilient defence. However, they emerged rejuvenated after half-time, with substitute Noah Sadaoui bagging a hat-trick and Carlos Martinez adding another goal to their tally.

The result extended FC Goa's unbeaten streak to five games and narrowed the gap with table-toppers Mumbai City FC by five points.

FC Goa thoroughly deserved the victory, showcasing dominance with over 60 percent possession and firing 10 shots on target, compared to Hyderabad FC's solitary attempt. Marquez expressed delight with his players' performance in the second half but also acknowledged that they were not upto the mark in the opening period.

“It was difficult to improve the performance of the first half. The first half was without base. Nothing, only pace. Even though we had chances in the first half with (Laxmikant) Kattimani (making saves) and some mistakes in the last action (from Hyderabad FC), one good action of Alex Saji saved the goal (from Mohammad Yasir) but we didn’t play a good first half. In fact, we played bad,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“In the second half, the pace of Noah killed Hyderabad FC. I feel that when you score one goal, you don’t know why, but everything changes. We scored more goals. Players that played bad in the first half, in the second half they played good. Carlos (Martinez) deserved the goal because he worked a lot and he had the chances during the game. (Mohammad) Yasir (got) two more assists. But obviously, Noah was the key in the second half,” he added.

FC Goa implemented four changes to their starting lineup following their 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC. Yasir, Ayush Chhetri, Borja Herrera, and Jay Gupta were introduced into the playing eleven, replacing Sadaoui, Narayan Das, Seriton Fernandes, and Rowllin Borges, who were relegated to the bench.

Despite Sadaoui's remarkable hat-trick as a substitute, Marquez provided insight into his decision to bench the Moroccan, along with Borges, who played a pivotal role in their previous win against Bengaluru FC.

“We have five players with three yellow cards,” Marquez revealed.

“There was an option to play with Rowllin (Borges) but we decided finally about the squad (and whom to play). We decided to not play Rowllin. We substituted (out) Yasir, Odei and Nim (because of the yellow cards). Out of all the players, I told Noah if you score, please don’t remove the jersey. And that’s all. It’s about winning the game and let’s see now what happens in the next two games,” he added.

Related tags:

Hyderabad FCFC Goa2023-2024 Mohammad YasirRowllin BorgesCarlos Martinez RodriguezNoah Sadaoui