ISL 2022-23: FC Goa coach Carlos Pena glad to go home with 3 points after win over Chennaiyin FC
FC Goa secured a 2-0 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday to maintain their unbeaten record in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23.
FollowFC Goa secured a 2-0 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday to maintain their unbeaten record in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23.
Midfielder Noah Wail Sadaoui first assisted Redeem Tlang in the 10th minute and then added the second goal in the injury time to earn full points for FC Goa. This is the second win for Gaurs this season in as many games.
While both teams started quite aggressively, sharing almost equal possession, FC Goa managed to take an early lead. Winger Tlang gave the visitors an advantage when he headed a Sadaoui cross perfectly into the net.
Chennaiyin, however, kept pushing and created several goal-scoring opportunities but couldn't manage to find the back of the net. One such breathtaking moment came in the 20th minute when Prasanth Karuthadathkuni beautifully carried the ball on the right wing and gave it to Rahim Ali inside the box. However, FC Goa's goalkeeper Dheeraj Moirangthem pushed Rahim's shot away onto the crossbar before it rebounded and fell to Petar Sliskovic, whose volley was once again saved by the gloveman.
The Moroccan footballer Sadaoui took the game further away from the hosts when he smashed the second goal for Goa in injury time.
FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena was delighted to see his team end up on the winning side. The 39-year-old heaped praise on all his players and felt that they were incredibly courageous to have taken the game to the home side from the very beginning.
"I am very happy because it was a very tough game and we knew that Chennaiyin FC started the season playing good football. I wanted us to keep the ball throughout the game and stay in control. We created a number of chances to score and found the right spaces for our striker. I am glad to get home with the three points, and this victory is very important for us," the FC Goa coach said.
Pena also discussed the injury concern of star player and goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh - who put up an incredible performance but had to be stretchered off - stating that he will be under medical supervision with an injury that isn't very serious at the moment.
"He had to leave the pitch early due to an unfortunate event causing a clash, it does not seem to be a very serious situation and the medical team will do a few tests with him before declaring anything further," the FC Goa coach added.
Meanwhile, Chennaiyin head coach Thomas Brdaric rued missed chances and remarked, "We couldn't mark the players. Lack of concentration in the beginning, but it was a good bounce back, but then we didn't have the luck to score. We have to improve next time. Football is decided in the box, and today we were not able to score in the box. We need to be effective."
Chennaiyin FC will now travel to Kolkata for an away game against East Bengal FC on November 4, while Goa will take on Hyderabad FC on October 29.
