Being unbeaten for 11 games is not easy in football, says Sergio Lobera

Sergio Lobera also spoke about the AFC Cup draw which was held on Thursday.

Odisha FC have prolonged their unbeaten run to eight matches by securing a 4-1 victory against Jamshedpur FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Once again, Roy Krishna played a prominent role for the Juggernauts, contributing two goals in the game.

Rei Techikawa scored the first goal of the match in the 23rd minute and helped Jamshedpur to take an early lead in the game. Odisha FC replied with an equalizer in the 27th minute through Isak Vanlalruatfela’s goal and then took the lead in the 36th minute, thanks to a goal from Roy Krishna. Diego Mauricio scored the third for Odisha FC from a penalty in the additional minutes of the first half and Roy Krishna banged home the fourth a minute later to put the game to bed. 

The post-match press conference was attended by the head coach Sergio Lobera, who expressed his delight at the team’s success and also shared his thoughts on the AFC Cup draw.

Thoughts on the significant victory

With the win, Odisha FC remain in the third spot of the points table (they have same points as second-placed FC Goa). Moreover, the team is undefeated in its last 11 games, including the AFC Cup ties. When asked about the team’s performance, Lobera said, “I am very happy because being unbeaten for 11 games, which includes nine wins and two draws, is not easy in football.” 

“Today, the start of the game was not very good, but the team showed character. Maybe the first half is the best 45 minutes now (for Odisha) in the season. I think the players made a big effort and they deserve to go to the break with this win. We all need a break because we played a lot of games in a short time,” he added. 

Odisha FC’s AFC Cup draw

With the conclusion of the AFC Cup draw, Odisha FC’s opponent is almost finalized, and they will get to know whom they’ll face a few matches before their fixture. Sergio Lobera mentioned, “I am happy that we have qualified for the knockout round. All the teams in the knockout stage are strong teams. Hopefully we perform well and get into the next round of the AFC Cup.”

“But before that we need to think about Super Cup and ISL, then we can put our thoughts about the other competition,” he added before concluding.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.