ISL 2020-21 playoffs: Sergio Lobera rues missed chances as Mumbai City held 2-2 by FC Goa
By Team Newsable | First Published Mar 6, 2021, 10:45 AM ISTMumbai City had finished atop the 2020-21 Indian Super League table, while Goa had finished at the fourth spot. Both sides have played the tournament since its inception in 2008 but are yet to win the title to date. While City finished in semis twice, Goa is a two-time runner-up.
Mumbai City was held to a 2-2 draw by FC Goa in the opening leg of the semi-final of the 2020-21 Indian Super League at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. While City had finished atop the table, Goa managed to finish at fourth.
It all began with Igor Angulo's 20th-minute penalty, while Hugo Boumous levelled it in the 38th. Although Saviour Gama put Goa in the lead again in 59th, Mourtada Fall levelled it again a couple of minutes later.
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Following the game, City boss Sergio Lobera rued the chances missed by his side, as they deserved to win this tie. "Today, I am not happy and because I think we had chances to score more goals. We need to be more clinical. We didn't have control of the game and they have the ball, and they were comfortable for long periods. We had our chances, but we didn't take advantage. We need to win possession against the team. Against ATKMB, it was important to win possession and have control. Today, it was not possible," he said, reports Sportstar.
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"We needed to take advantage of the players missing in Goa. In between distance between lines, it was not possible to have possession. We need to think, but I don't have much time for preparation," he added.
Meanwhile, Goa manager Juan Ferrando lashed out for decisions going against them, besides ruing some possible injuries. "Everybody saw the game and saw the strange decisions. I had six players with major injuries. Princeton, maybe, out for one month. Edu Bedia played with pain after a tackle against HFC. It's impossible to play football here. In the end, I have a good squad, but I am scared of the injuries. I want to play football. We made a different system to win against Mumbai. It's necessary to focus on other details but. The squad of Mumbai is excellent and expensive. Difficult to work in these situations," he said.
"Firstly, I need to know who is available to play. I have ten players in the squad. I need to talk to the medical staff on Sunday to prepare. The coaching staff are working every day. We made a different plan from the previous games against Mumbai. First game it was 4-2-3-1, then second game we had a 4-4-2 in defence, and today, it was 4-3-3," he added.
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