Team Herald
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FATORDA: After sealing their spot in the final of Indian Super League, FC Goa head coach Sergio Lobera said he was eager to play Bengaluru FC for the title as it would be a sweet revenge to defeat them and bring home the cup.
FC Goa booked their spot in the final after overcoming Mumbai City FC by an aggregate of 5-2 win over the two-legged semi-finals. Despite going down 0-1 in the second leg at home on Tuesday, their 5-1 thrashing of Mumbai City in the first leg last week ensured their passage to the March 17 finale in Mumbai.
At the post match press conference Sergio said, “We had lost both the matches played against Bengaluru FC and it was clear that they were the favourites. But we are going to approach this final in a positive way trying to win despite The Blues being the favourites.”
“After 180 minutes on the ground I believe whoever reaches the final they deserve it. Both teams have performed very well in the league and hopefully we will bring the trophy home,” he added.
Speaking about their loss today, Sergio stressed more on the away result in Mumbai saying the hardest thing has already been done in the first leg semis defeating The Islanders 5-1 at their home turf.
“The first half today was not good for us but at certain point this is normal as we had a huge advantage that we got in Mumbai and also some players thought of not getting injured or booked as we were already in the final,” said Sergio.
“We need to learn from mistakes and also pick the positives of the game and keep doing it. I believe that the final will be a completely different for which we will not be thinking of the replay,” he added.
“It is a very happy day for us and it is a very big thing that we made it to the final. What we have to think right now is what exactly we are going to face in the final,” he said.
Asked about Ahmed Jahouh early substitution, the coach informed, “He was shown a yellow card and as he was playing in the midfield, he was losing a lot of possession and also today he was not at his best.”
