FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez expressed satisfaction with his team's performance as they secured a convincing 4-1 win against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Matchweek 11 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday.

Moroccan midfielder Noah Sadaoui opened the scoring early in the 10th minute of the match by converting from the spot for the Gaurs. Sadaoui secured his second of the night minutes before the halftime whistle, following a goal by Victor Rodriguez in the 42nd minute. The Mariners managed to score a consolation goal in the dying seconds of the first half through a brilliant free-kick from Dimitri Petratos. In injury time of the second half, Carlos Martinez made it 4-1, keeping FC Goa atop the league table, still undefeated.

How’s that for a gift? Merry Christmas Gaurs! 😘🎁🧡#MBSGFCG pic.twitter.com/VjQelHuRjF

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The FC Goa head coach is happy to have defeated one of the big teams like Mohun Bagan SG, who posed a threat to their position as the table-toppers.

“When you win in the stadium against big teams such as Mohun Bagan Super Giant, you are very happy,” stated Marquez in the post-match press conference.

The Spanish tactician believes they deservedly won but is concerned about the disconnect that his team has shown under certain circumstances.

He shared, “I think that we deserved to win the game. We played a very, very, very good first half. I'm a little worried about the disconnections that the team has in some moments of the game. For example, it was a great goal, the Dimi Petratos (goal), but it was a complete disconnection of my team when (it) was the injury time in the first half and it's not the first time.”

FC Goa have gone strength-to-strength this season, and their head coach takes pride in how they have improved since the start of the season, Marquez added, “In general, I am very satisfied with the team because we are improving a lot from the beginning of the season till now, and I think that we can improve even more.”

The 55-year-old ensured that his team was prepared to take down the Mariners, regardless of the formation they played

“We knew how Mohun Bagan Super Giant was playing at the beginning of the season, it was the system that they play today, more or less. But in the last games they play with a line of four, the same as today in some in the second half. Then it's true that we prepare both systems just in case. But sometimes, you know how is football. Sometimes you can prepare everything and you lose,” he said.

The Gaurs had 24 touches in the opposition’s box, compared to the four that Mohun Bagan SG managed. FC Goa dominated Mohun Bagan SG throughout the match, with the first half being exceptionally impressive.

FC Goa have won three matches out of their seven victories this season with a 1-0 scoreline. Marquez feels that this clinical performance is what his team was missing during those fixtures.

“Today I feel that we were very clinical in the first half. And, maybe this is one thing that we missed in the former games, but when we won games by 1-0 margins and there we had clear chances to score more goals,” he concluded.