FC Goa’s journey in the Hero Indian Super League has been no less than a fairy tale. From the bottom of the league table at the halfway point of the league phase, they climbed to second place and a spot in the semi-finals after a phenomenal performance over the course of the second half of the season – they went all seven games unbeaten. No wonder the Goa contingent was full of confidence ahead of their clash against third placed Atlético de Kolkata in the first leg of the semifinal at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. “We started our journey with difficulties, the road has been long and tough, but here we are now in the semifinals, and we are happy about it and confident to put up a good show,” said marquee player Robert Pirès, sitting alongside head coach Zico at the pre-match press conference. “But we are not over-confident. We know it will be a very different and difficult match tomorrow, and we are prepared for it.” The two league-phase matches between these two teams were both heated affairs. In Goa, Kolkata came from behind to register a 2-1 win in an ill-tempered match, while on the final day of the season, in Kolkata, the home team clinched a point through a disputed penalty. But Pirès was quick to dismiss the idea that this was a revenge match. “I don’t like the word ‘revenge’. Whatever happened in the last match is a matter of past. For our team, the focus is to reach the final in Mumbai.” Head coach Zico echoed his marquee player’s thoughts. “We prepare to play football. Our only focus is on our team and the opponent,” said the Brazilian legend. The Goa gaffer also expressed confidence in his team’s bench strength, given that the impressive Bruno Pinheiro will miss this game through suspension (after being red-carded in the penalty incident against Kolkata in the league game). Zico cited his team’s incredible work ethic as the reason for the miraculous turnaround in the tournament. “The 4-1 win against Delhi Dynamos gave us lots of confidence, power and strength, but of course it happened because our players worked very hard. We practiced a lot, and this is the fruit of our work,” he asserted. Both Pirès and Zico spoke in glowing terms regarding the Indian players in Goa’s ranks, acknowledging that the development of Indian football was a primary aim for the league and for the team as well, along with winning the championship. “Some of the Indian youngsters really impressed me with their improvement,” Pirès enthused. “The likes of Narayan (Das) and Mandar (Desai) have a lot of potential.” Zico concluded on a similar note. “I am eager to help for the development of Indian football, and I am very happy the way the Indian players in my team are shaping up. I also try my best to help them.”
