The players fought till the last moment: FC Goa’s Manolo Marquez
Marquez shared his thoughts after FC Goa scored in injury time to secure a crucial point at home against NorthEast United FC.

FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez expressed disappointment with the result but praised his players' attitude after the Gaurs played out a 3-3 draw with NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday.
Despite the draw, FC Goa are still searching for their first home win of the season. Armando Sadiku initially put them ahead after NorthEast United took an early lead through Nestor Albiach. The Highlanders then surged ahead with two quick goals from Albiach and Alaeddine Ajaraie within five minutes during the second half. In a thrilling finish, FC Goa pushed hard for an equaliser and were rewarded when Borja Herrera scored in injury time, extending their unbeaten run to three games following an opening defeat to Jamshedpur FC.
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While Marquez was critical of his team’s defensive performance, he was optimistic about their improvement in the upcoming Matchweeks.
“I think for the spectators and (for those watching) on TV, as a coach it was a good game. We cannot defend worse than today. It’s difficult. We can say nothing about the attitude of the guys. They fought till the last moment and again, in four games (we played so far), Jamshedpur FC scored in the injury time and we scored in injury time in Mohammedan (Sporting Club’s) stadium,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“Four games in this (Matchweek 4) round, four draws. We are defending very bad. We cannot concede three, two, two, one (goals).. Without consistency, one team can be fighting for nothing. But I know we will improve because this aspect is the easier aspect to improve. The quality we have, we know. Still, we have to recover crucial players,” he said.
FC Goa dominated possession against NorthEast United FC and created numerous chances, testing goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh on multiple occasions. The Gaurs controlled the final stages of the match, and their equaliser was a testament to their relentless effort.
Marquez acknowledged the team’s determination to fight back in the dying moments but admitted that they still have a long way to go.
“We started badly. We entered badly. Usually, when you concede one goal immediately, the team goes down. In some moments, we created some chances. Finally, we equalised. But it’s true that we need little more (things) in defence and attack. If you don’t defend well, it’s difficult to attack in a good way. In the last minutes, it was more (about playing) with the heart than the head.. We scored the third goal and almost we scored the fourth. The feeling that you have at the end of the game is different (coming back after trailing). But my feeling is that we have to perform better if we want to do something this season,” he asserted.