ISL 2020-21: Juan Ferrando defends FC Goa's draw against Chennaiyin FC
With this draw, FC Goa has risen to the third spot in the 2020-21 Indian Super League table, while Chennaiyin FC stays at eighth. Both the sides are playing the tournament since 2014. While Goa is yet to win the title to date, Chennaiyin is a former two-time champion.
Former champion, Chennaiyin FC was denied a win, as FC Goa held it to a 2-2 draw in the Indian Super League 2020-21, at the GMC Stadium in Goa, on Saturday. Owing to this draw, Chennaiyin stays at the eighth spot, while Goa has risen to the third.
It all began after Jakub Sylvestr put Chennaiyin ahead in the 13th minute, followed by a penalty off Igor Angulo, just six minutes later, to draw level. Chennaiyin restored its lead in the 60th minute off Lallianzuala Chhangte, while it was in the 91st minute when Ishan Pandita pulled level again.
Following the draw, Goa boss, Juan Ferrando defended his young side, believing that it needs more experience. "At the end of the day, it is those individual mistakes that make the difference. I can understand that these errors are possible because we have a young squad. The players need to gain experience from situations like these. We are in third position right now, but anything can happen from here. My players were nervous and they weren't very confident on the field," he said, reports Sportstar.
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"We have to attack and be cautious at the back at the same time. It is important to exploit free spaces. When we are down, it becomes easy for us to capitalise on the space available. But today, Chennaiyin FC looked much more relaxed. We need to change our mindset and be ruthless on the ground if we want to make the playoffs. Six draws on the trot is not very ideal," he added.
Meanwhile, Chennaiyin manager, Csaba Laszlo, was livid because a couple of new boys made tactical fouls to squander the winning opportunity. "This is not the first time this season. I'm disappointed because we deserved the win. I'm also angry because I introduced two fresh faces to make tactical fouls and slow them down. We had to halt their attacks in midfield. But, we failed due to lack of experience. Eli Sabia made a mistake too in the first goal. At the end of the day, we didn't have luck on our side. But, to play like this after losing to Jamshedpur FC was a better feeling," he repined.
"Tactically, we dominated FC Goa. But, the last goal was due to a small misunderstanding. I think the better team lost two points and the luckier team got a point. I don't want to talk about the referees. You have to ask Deepak Tangri what happened there with Edu Bedia. It should have been a free-kick for us," he concluded.