NorthEast United FC made it two wins from two in the 2016 Hero Indian Super League with a 2-0 win against FC Goa at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday. Goals from Emiliano Alfaro in either half capped off an outstanding team performance by the Highlanders to extend Nelo Vingada’s winning start after their opening day win against Kerala Blasters FC. The 63-year-old was all praise for his goalkeeper Subrata Paul and also lauded FC Goa, admitting the scoreline was a bit harsh on the Gaurs.“Today was a really tough game. It was a good game. Both sides created very good chances but our goalkeeper was crucial to keep our goal safe. We created very good chances to score. I must say FC Goa are a very good team, good quality players. Some of the players have played at a very high level. I believe FC Goa will be very good contenders because of the quality of the players in their squad. To be honest, I think 2-0 was very hard for them because the result could have been anything since both teams created good chances. The most important thing is our team knows how to respect FC Goa team,” he told reporters at the post-match press conference.He added: “If we play the same way they do, it is not our style. Even though we finished the game very well by controlling the game by keeping ball possession creating some good attacks in the second half. In football, it is not always the team with more possession that scores more goals. Sometimes football is so attractive, it is the most important sport in the world. I think the win today has put us in a good position for the league. I’ve been in many leagues in Portugal and Asia and these players have quality to play in any of the leagues.”FC Goa dominated the ball but couldn’t translate possession into goal when it mattered the most. Asked if this was the Highlanders’ game plan all along, Vingada said: “We respect how FC Goa were organised. FC Goa started the game very well, even after we scored our goal, they were well organized. In the second half I knew FC Goa will try to bring the game to us so I decided to get faster players like Nico Velez and Seityasen Singh so we could counter-attack. As you saw the second goal was a fantastic counter-attack and we also created some more chances. However, I would like to play the game how we finished it, by controlling the game. I am happier because the opponent team was very strong and we finished the game better than last Saturday.”The Highlanders now travel to Mumbai City FC on Friday. It will be their third game in six days, raising concerns about player fatigue. Vingada though chose to focus on the positive aspect of the situation as he believes that his players’ match sharpness and gaming rhythm could give them an edge over Mumbai.“Yes, this is a problem as our team plays three games in six days. We have to play our next game in less than 72 hours. Some of the players have now played consecutive games. The good thing is this can give the players a very good rhythm. So it is an important part of the preparation. But I am confident as we have some players that haven’t played until now and they can play anytime. It was a good thing that we finished the game with six Indian players and five foreign players, to keep the team in balance,” he said.
