A Hugo Boumous brace inspired FC Goa to a thrilling 3-2 win over Kerala Blasters FC in a topsy-turvy Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday. The Gaurs took a 2-0 lead in the first half but Kerala fought back and grabbed two goals of their own after the restart. It needed an 83rd-minute winner from Boumous to seal the affair in the home team's favour. The result also took the Gaurs back to the top of the points table.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Goa head coach Sergio Lobera shared his opinion on the win and stated, “I agree that Kerala dominated the second half. But the first half was ours. The most important thing for me is that I am very proud of my players. They believed till the end. They reacted well to score one goal after Kerala equalised which was very important for us to get this result against a very good team in the second half.”

Kerala were on the front foot throughout the second half, scoring two important goals to level the game until Boumous’ late strike. When asked if his team was being too defensive in the second half, the Spaniard said, “In the half time, I told my players to defend but also to look for the third goal. The opponent team played very well in the second half. They kept the possession and created chances.”

“It was not our intention to go on the defensive. The opponents put us in such a situation. Our intention in the second half was to get the third goal, because I think it is very important to score to win the match,” he added.

Read the Match Report here.