FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena said his team was unfortunate to have missed the penalty against Hyderabad FC, which could have been the game-changer in the dying moments of yet another exciting match in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season.

Javier Siverio’s strike in the first-half sealed the three points for Hyderabad FC, handing FC Goa their first defeat of the season. Pena was impressed by the grit shown by Hyderabad FC, and he expects more from his players after a reality check against strong opposition.

The Gaurs face Jamshedpur FC in their next challenge and Pena revealed he was excited to play in front of the home fans on Thursday after playing three games away from home.

Here are the excerpts from Pena’s press conference:

 What are your initial thoughts on the game?

It was a good game overall and tough as well for both teams. We had the chance to get a point out of the game or even three points, but this is football. I am happy with how the boys came up in the second half and we had a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot, which unfortunately did not go our way. Again, this is football; one team wins, the other loses, and Hyderabad FC won it on the day.

Do you think the penalty miss was a decisive moment in the game?

The penalty was a decisive moment towards the end of the game. It was a mishit by our forward and it could have changed the perplexity of the game. It was an unfortunate event.

You have played three away games so far, from which the team has two wins and a loss. Do you think six points out of nine is a good return considering you had to play three games away from home?

We are happy to be in the position we are currently in, as six points out of nine is a satisfying return after playing away from our fans and from our home turf. Tonight, we could not get a point. That makes us a bit unhappy, but we will look to make up for it when we play in front of our home support on Thursday.

You came up against a strong opponent in Hyderabad FC tonight. What are the takeaways from the game?

One thing I noticed was that when playing against an opponent like Hyderabad FC, you can't take your eyes off the pitch or the ball. One mistake is all it takes for them to capitalise and score the eventual winning goal. We knew the type of team we were up against, and they made sure they gave us a reality check at the end by pushing us to our limits.