FC Goa returned to winning ways by edging Jamshedpur FC 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Thursday to re-enter the top four in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 points table. The Gaurs, who have the most prolific attacking unit this season, managed to breach Jamshedpur’s resolute defence twice through Manuel Lanzarote, while Trindade Goncalves scored for the league debutants.

Present at the post-match press conference was the visitors’ head coach Steve Coppell who believed that his men deserved points from the encounter. “Overall I thought we deserved the points. In the first half an hour, we stopped them from doing what they do and we had a couple of opportunities. I thought it would’ve been good if we would have taken advantage then. They’re a good side but I look at my team. If we play with the same desire and will to win, we’ll be alright,” he said.

The match had its fair share of controversies with a minor altercation breaking out during the half-time whistle, just prior to which Goa were awarded a penalty. Speaking on the incident, Coppell opined, “In quite a few ISL games, you have a few players diving around, a few players waving imaginary yellow cards. I mean, is that the way forward? Obviously, the real pressure point moment was when the penalty was given, I think things were said which incited the problem. I said at halftime, concentrate on the football. I think my team did that.”

He further continued, “I hate complaining about referees. When we have two sides so closely matched like tonight, you want the difference to be a beautiful piece of football. You don’t want it to be a mistake and you don’t want it to be a refereeing decision. When the referee gave the penalty, I thought he may have jostled him. I just saw that on the TV and Andre Bikey clearly got the ball. We go in at half-time 1-0 down. The second goal was a good piece of finishing but could have been a tad offside. I feel hard done by because we played a good game. But you know we have to get ourselves ready for the next one.”

The defeat leaves the debutants rooted at seventh on the points table, though the Englishman doesn’t think his team is out of the reckoning yet. “We’ve obviously got to improve,” Coppell explained. “Our last five games were against the top five teams. The most important thing in the ISL is scheduling, as I said from the first day. Now we’re in a period of three weeks where we have six games. I think it’ll be fair to say that after those six games, we’ll definitely know where we’re at. It’s a great challenge for us.”

Renowned for having the best defensive unit this season, Jamshedpur’s solid backline has been breached four times in their last two matches, but the 62-year old does not read too much into it. “I knew we wouldn’t go throughout the season with clean sheets every week. But do I want to stay on the back foot for 18 games? No. We want to be on the front foot so that leaves more spaces at the back. So, say we conceded two goals but I say we conceded one goal. The score might say otherwise,” he said.

Before leaving, Coppell praised Lanzarote whose brace proved to be the difference at the end of 90 minutes. “(He is a) terrific player! You look at his record, his goals today. Both the teams got some quality players. Coro (Ferran Corominas), (Ahmed) Jahouh and the triangle in midfield, which a lot of teams will try to negate. Super finish (for the second goal)! You can’t question his ability,” he concluded.