FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s performance despite their 1-0 win over Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Monday.

After a match filled with misses and brilliant saves, the Gaurs managed to snatch all three points through a late goal from Victor Rodriguez, who came on as a substitute. The victory saw FC Goa maintain their unbeaten streak and leapfrog Kerala Blasters FC at the top of the standings.

Reflecting on his team’s performance, Marquez acknowledged that his team can play exponentially better but was pleased with the three points.

“I need to say that obviously the most important thing is the three points to win. I'm not happy. I think that the performance of the team can be a thousand times better. And it's true that in 22 games there are good games, normal games, bad games. And if you win this kind of game, it's important. But, we need to improve in a lot of areas,” stated Marquez at the post-match press conference.

Jamshedpur FC were unlucky not to come away with a result in Goa. Despite creating fewer chances than the home team, they had more ball possession and staved off many attacks from FC Goa, restricting them to just a goal. They did not sit back despite conceding at the death and continued to cause problems for Marquez’s side until the final whistle.

Marquez hailed Jamshedpur FC as a team and felt the game was very balanced despite the win for his side.

“My opinion is that Jamshedpur FC, tactically, is one of the most difficult teams in the league because they play in a defensive 5-4-1, but when they are in attack, both wingbacks are very deep,” Marquez explained.

“The two midfielders drop the position (and move forward), and the two wingers go inside, and these kinds of movements, if you are not very focused, are very dangerous. I feel that more or less we controlled these situations, except in the last minutes where they attacked a lot. But it's true that on the other side, I think that we created very clear chances to kill the game before, but it was a very equal game.”