FC Goa succumbed to their first home defeat of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18, as FC Pune City outclassed them to win 2-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday. Emiliano Alfaro and Jonatan Lucca’s second-half goals proved too much for Goa to recover from. This was also, the first time this season that the Gaurs failed to find the back of the net and handed the opponent team a clean sheet.

Present at the post-match press conference for the home team was head coach Sergio Lobera, who rued the missed opportunities, which if converted, could have given the game a different outlook. “I think we had different moments within the game, and we had the opportunity to score first and get ahead in the game. Had we scored, the game would have been completely different. Had we gone ahead, the other team would have had to open their game a bit more, and not play on the counter like they did, and maybe we would have found more space. We weren’t effective today, and as the minutes passed by, we weren’t comfortable. As we went under pressure in trying to score a goal, we lost the style of play that we wanted out on the field, and that made it tough for us to create chances. They took their chances and got ahead of the game, and that’s why they won,” he replied.

Goa’s defence may not be as strong as their attacking unit, but the Spaniard believes that they weren’t solely responsible for the loss. He opined, “Like I have said before, we lose and win as a team. Had we taken our chances, the game would have been completely different. When we moved up the field, we left a bit of space behind, and they took advantage of that. But I don’t see it as a problem with the defence today.”

The 40-year old was also quick to appreciate Pune’s tactics that managed to throttle the affluent Gaurs. “Yes, we suffered a little bit today because the other team did not give much space, and they were sitting back, trying to hit us on the counter,” he explained. “But again, had we taken our chances, it would have been very different. We had a few close shaves, and had any of them gone in, it would have been a completely different game.”

However, Lobera will definitely take home certain positives from their second defeat of the season to come back stronger next. “It (the loss) made sure that our feet are grounded. It tells us that we still have a lot of work to do. Today was a very painful loss because we had the opportunity to take the three points at home and put ourselves way above the other teams. But we still have a game in hand, and if we take our chances, we could still be at the top of the table. We have to improve our mistakes, and we have to be capable to grab our chances in the next game. In this league, if you are not 100%, then you will not win games,” he concluded.