ISL 2023-24: FC Goa's Manolo Marquez praises outstanding performance in victory over Chennaiyin FC
FC Goa's head coach, Manolo Marquez, commends his team's superb showing as they secure a 3-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC in the ISL 2023-24 season.
FollowWith 13 points secured from five matches, FC Goa has claimed the top position in the ISL standings following their comfortable victory over Chennaiyin FC. FC Goa's head coach, Manolo Marquez, expressed his satisfaction as his team secured a convincing 3-0 win over Chennaiyin FC in Matchweek 6 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.
Maintaining an unbeaten streak after five matches, FC Goa has recorded four wins and a draw. This impressive performance elevated them to the top of the league table. Boris Singh Thangjam opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Rowllin Borges added a second 24 minutes into the game, and Udanta Singh sealed the three points with a third goal in the 72nd minute.
Reflecting on the match's outcome, the Spanish coach believes that their victory over Chennaiyin FC was their best performance in this ISL season, and they fully deserved the three points.
"We played a good game. Perhaps our best performance in this ISL. It's hard to say if the score of 3-0 is a fair reflection, or whether it could have been 2-0 or 3-1, but I believe we earned the victory. We played well. While we were leading 2-0, there were moments in the second half when Chennaiyin FC exerted a lot of pressure. However, once we scored the third goal, I felt the game was sealed," Marquez stated during the post-match press conference.
In this season, there have been instances of teams losing despite holding a two-goal lead early in the game. Marquez is pleased that his team remained composed and didn't yield to such pressure.
"In football, there's an unwritten rule that when you lead 2-0 at halftime and the opposing team scores early in the second half, it can feel like they are winning. When it's 1-0, you need to stay extremely focused because the game isn't over, but with a 2-0 lead, there can be a tendency to relax, and if the opponent scores, problems can arise. I think they did put pressure on us and had some chances," Marquez added.
The Gaurs have showcased their strength convincingly in the league so far. The 55-year-old coach believes his team has been highly competitive up to this point, but there's room for improvement in the upcoming matches because the league is lengthy and requires sustained focus.
"I believe we can improve, but throughout 22 games, there will be good, average, and poor performances. The key is to maintain a high level of competitiveness in all games. So far, we have been very competitive, even in games where our performance wasn't at its best," he concluded
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