Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera underscored the significance of registering their first victory in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season as they edged past Jamshedpur FC by a 2-1 scoreline at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in Saturday’s opener.

The hosts secured a 2-0 lead inside the first half courtesy Diego Mauricio and Mourtada Fall’s goals. However, the Kalinga Warriors created numerous goalscoring opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, but a resilient Jamshedpur FC defense line prevented Lobera’s men from increasing their lead.

The Men of Steel pulled one goal back in the second half, with Fall scoring an own goal, bringing the visitors back into the game. Odisha FC stood strong in the final minutes of the game, denying Jamshedpur FC to record their first win of the season after a two-match losing streak.

Lobera shared his delight on emerging victorious against Khalid Jamil’s team.

“I'm very happy for the boys. I think they deserve this victory. They made a big effort. Today, as a coach, my feelings are like we’re Odisha FC of the last season,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“I think we managed better in different situations during the game. We kept the ball in possession, playing forward, trying to arrive at the opponent's goal. I think we created a lot of chances and could have scored earlier and closed the game before if we scored the third goal,” he continued.

The Spanish head coach believed that his players improved their game, taking lessons from the successive defeats. He acknowledged Jamshedpur FC’s squad depth and their style of play.

“We went up against a very strong and physical team. We knew how we needed to suffer to get the victory. We managed the game well.”

“Some mistakes that we made against Chennaiyin FC, I think the team has improved on and learned about that and managed situations better (against Jamshedpur FC),” he added.

Lobera highlighted the importance of getting back to winning ways. Speaking in context, Lobera remarked,

“I am very happy because finally, we got three very important points.”

“And also the atmosphere in the ground, in the stadium was amazing. Every time more supporters come here, they are pushing us in the difficult moment. I am happy for these people because they also deserved this victory,” he further added.

The Odisha FC head coach addressed that sticking to their possession-based attacking football helped them turn their fortunes around and secure their first three points of the ISL 2024-25 season. When quizzed about their tactical approach for the Jamshedpur FC game, Lobera revealed,

“Be loyal to our style of play. I think today we showed that we’re loyal in our style of play, and we've (got) stronger players.”

“Till the last minute of the game, we tried to keep the ball and the possession. Especially in the game against Chennaiyin FC, we lost possession, we went back so deep, and we suffered. I think today the approach in these kinds of situations was better. And the boys deserved the victory,” he signed off.

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Odisha FCJamshedpur FC2024-2025 Sergio Lobera Rodriguez