Sergio Lobera: Jamshedpur FC have fewer points than they deserve in the table

Sergio Lobera’s side secured an impressive victory away from home thanks to a resilient performance.

Odisha FC emerged as 1-0 winners from their 2023-24 Indian Super League contest against Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on 1 December 2023. Roy Krishna scored the winning goal for the Juggernauts in the second half to hand them their third win in a row. This victory takes them up to the third place in the points table with 13 points.

Sergio Lobera, head coach of Odisha FC, spoke highly of the attitude shown by his players. He also expressed excitement regarding the upcoming challenges that await Odisha FC in the ISL and the AFC Cup.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Happy with the performance

Sergio Lobera expressed satisfaction with the performance and was glad to come away with three points from a hostile ground. He said, “I am happy (with the performance) because we got three points in a difficult place. It is difficult to play here and it was a tough game. In these types of games, it is important to win because, at the end of the season, you don’t remember about these points. Jamshedpur FC have fewer points than they deserve in the table.”

“My players did an amazing job when we were suffering in the game; we defended well. We had the opportunity to score the second goal and finish the game but they (Jamshedpur FC) also had chances towards the end of the game. We are happy because we got three important points,” the head coach added.

Impressive attitude

The Spaniard reserved praise for the attitude shown by players like Diego Mauricio which helped the team record an impressive win in the end. In this context, Sergio Lobera said, “I always want to talk about the team. It is not just about Ahmed Jahouh, but the attitude shown by Diego (Mauricio) is more important. Playing in the last minutes after coming from the bench, if your attitude is like this then you are an amazing professional. It is helpful for me as a coach to have players like these.”

Upcoming challenges

Sergio Lobera seemed excited for the next ISL game which is against Mohun Bagan, whom they recently demolished in the AFC Cup by a 5-2 scoreline. Speaking about the upcoming challenges, he said, “We know it will be a tough game against them (Mohun Bagan) but we know the calendar. We must prepare well and make no excuses. We have a big challenge ahead, the first step is to face Mohun Bagan and then a big opportunity in the AFC Cup and we are excited about it.” 

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