Looked much better & stronger side in second half: Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson

Grayson's side played a goalless draw against FC Goa

Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson expressed his satisfaction with keeping their first clean sheet of the season as his team played out a goalless draw against FC Goa at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.

FC Goa began the game strongly and posed a significant threat with their counterattacks, prompting Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to make a couple of outstanding saves. In the second half, the Blues settled in well and looked decent with the ball. However, neither side could break the deadlock at the end of 90 minutes.

During the post-match press conference, Grayson provided a detailed breakdown of the game.“In the first half, FC Goa were the better team. We gave them too much space to play, and our goalkeeper made some good saves, but that's what he is paid to do. In the second half, there were no gaps for them to play. We didn't make it as easy for them when they had possession of the ball, and we looked much better and stronger side in the second half than we did in the first half,” Grayson said to the media after the game.

“They were the better team in the first half, and we were the better team in the second half. So, I think it is a fair result,” he added.

The Englishman made some defensive changes to his lineup from the last game and expressed his satisfaction with the progress. He exuded a sense of contentment as he praised his team's defensive performance. Furthermore, the coach also expressed his delight at how his team had evolved in terms of ball control and possession.

“In the first half, we had more possession than FC Goa, but that was primarily in our defensive half. In the second half, we had a lot of possession in the middle third and at the top end of the pitch,” said the Englishman.

“We were still aware of how FC Goa could threaten us with counter-attacks, so we had to focus on our defence. Therefore, I think keeping a clean sheet is a good achievement,” Grayson commented.