FC Goa head coach Zico was in a positive mood after his side kept their first clean sheet of the tournament after securing a goalless draw against Mumbai City FC at home today. The Brazilian legend still believes that his team will be able to reach the knockout stage of the competition despite having only five points from seven games in the kitty.“I know that we have had too many losses, but we can have victories as well,” he said at the post match press conference. “The teams in the knockout spots currently are just five points ahead of us. That is just two games. We lost some games that we could have won, but as soon as we have the odds in our favour, we believe that we will win.”Admitting that goal scoring has been a problem for Goa and that his strikers haven’t been hitting the target, Zico stated that he’s given all his four strikers (Martins, Özbey, Herlein and Slepička) a chance to play but only one of them has scored. “If we had any more options, I would’ve used it. I cannot improvise and put someone else in their position to try to save the game,” he mentioned.Leaving the responsibility of scoring on his strikers’ shoulders, he went on to add, “I think it will be best if you ask them if there’s a mental block. My responsibility is to train the team, to tell them how to shoot the ball, the way they have to position themselves. But when it comes to the game on the field, it is up to them to score.”Zico also hoped that he would be able to avail of the services of his countryman and former Arsenal player André Santos in the next match. The Brazilian missed his second consecutive game due to injury. “I really hope that he will be fit to play the next match. We will have to see how he does in training tomorrow. He trained yesterday but felt a niggle, hence I couldn’t risk him,” Zico revealed.When asked if he would’ve selected more players from Brazil, Zico responded positively, saying, “If I had the opportunity to select more players (from Brazil), I definitely would have. I had only one option and I chose Santos.”Midfielder Bikramjit Singh, who was also present at the press conference, was elated after having played his first match of the Hero Indian Super League. “It has been an amazing experience. The ISL is a great opportunity for Indian players, since we are getting to play with great players and under such a great coach. Our confidence is already up and it will definitely help Indian football players,” he chimed.Bikramjit was a surprise addition to the Goa squad today in place of Sheikh Jewel Raja and the midfielder was happy to take his chance and showcase his game. “It is up to the coach since he knows best which player will play better in which match. Today, he gave me the chance to play and I gave my 100 per cent and I am very happy with my performance,” he said.
