SULLIVAN NORONHA
sullivan@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: FC Goa coach Zico was all smiles following his team’s emphatic 3-0 win against Delhi Dynamos FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda which took the home side to their first Hero Indian Super League final.
The legendary Brazilian thanked the fans and well wishers for the support the team received throughout the campaign and asserted that this was the primary target of the team and it has been achieved. Goa approached the game on the back of a 1-0 loss to Delhi away from home in the first leg and Zico was quick to point out that it was a difficult game for the team. “It was very hard. We played very well though and made it seem easy. We are used to playing well here in Fatorda. However, there have been results that didn’t go our way (Pune and Chennai) but overall we have been a force here. The desire to win made the difference today. The team understood it was a do-or-die situation today,” he noted.
Prolific front man Rafael Coelho was brought down quite a few times and there were injury concerns for the player. Zico stuck with the Brazilian forward however and defended his decision to keep him on. “I prefer to understand the position of my player on the pitch before listening to anyone else. I respect the advice of the doctors but the player is in a better position to explain what he is feeling. I was a player as well. I know that sometimes you get knocks which you can shake off and continue. When he told me he couldn’t continue any more, I took him off,” Zico explained.
The FC Goa squad has had to face a lot of injuries through the season with Victor Simoes, Reinaldo, Joffre, Bikramjit Singh, Darryl Duffy and Rafael Coelho who had to face spells on the sidelines. Zico agreed that it was hard to deal with but also said that there were players in the squad to cover for injuries. “We believe in this squad. We chose 26 players. Everyone has to be ready to play at any time. If I believe in them, they should believe in themselves,” he said.
Asked about injuries to his squad and the potential one to Rafael, Zico admitted that Reinaldo and Raju Gaikwad would be out for the final although the Brazilian forward does have a chance to make it. “We have 24 players available for the final. Reinaldi and Raju are out but Reinaldo has a chance. Rafael was a hunted man on the ground tonight. I have to make sure he’s fine. We’ve got until Sunday to get him fit,” Zico quipped.
Roberto Carlos and Zico have always shared a good rapport and it was no different following the game tonight. Zico praised the efforts of the legendary Brazilian left back turned coach. “He did a great job guiding his team to the semi-finals. Maybe when he’s more experienced, he will cool down a bit but I wish him all the best. India should be thankful that a name like Carlos came down. The Indians in his team would have learned a lot,” said Zico.
