Our team displayed great character and a strong sense of unity: Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera

Odisha FC won the game 3-2

In a thrilling contest in the AFC Cup 2023-24, Odisha FC defeated Maziya S&RC with a 3-2 goal margin to register their second win in the championship at the Maldives National Football Stadium. 

The match began with an early goal by Naiz Hassan from Maziya in the second minute of the game. Following that, a penalty was conceded by Mourtada Fall, resulting in an opportunity for Vojislav Balabanovic to increase the lead of his team to 2-0 in the 26th minute of play.

The second half witnessed the unfolding of a captivating narrative. Odisha FC initiated their scoring with an exceptional strike delivered by Mourtada Fall in the 65th minute. This was followed by a remarkable goal by Diego Mauricio in the 72nd minute.

The final and deciding goal was scored by Roy Krishna in the 85th minute who single handedly initiated the attack and successfully gave Odisha FC the much needed win. 

The Post match press conference was attended by Odisha FC’s head coach Sergio Lobera. He expressed his satisfaction of winning the game but looked disappointed about the team’s performance in the first half. He said, “I am pleased with the outcome and the three points we achieved. However, I am dissatisfied with the performance in the first half. It seemed that our team lost its identity, as we struggled to maintain possession and made costly mistakes.”

“However, the second half presented a different story. Our team displayed great character and a strong sense of unity. Additionally, we demonstrated tactical intelligence by modifying our formation, which greatly benefited us”, he added. 

It was the tactical changes that helped the team to win the match. When queried about it, the coach replied, “We implemented a 3-5-2 formation, utilizing two strikers to create one-on-one situations with their central defenders. Our strategy involved pressing the opponent and minimizing the spaces in our own half, with the objective of spending more time in the opponent’s half.”

“We took risks, because leaving ourselves vulnerable to two-on-one situations was necessary when we were trailing by 2-0”, he added. 

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