Happy for efforts my players gave in this short period, asserts Sergio Lobera

Lobera also commented on Roy Krishna’s controversial offside.

Odisha FC has retained their leading position in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 points table, following a draw against FC Goa at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Roy Krishna once again found the back of the net, contributing to his team’s early lead within the first four minutes of play. Jay Gupta thwarted the Juggernauts’ attempt to secure three points with an impressive goal in the 37th minute.

The post match press conference was attended by Odisha FC’s head coach Sergio Lobera. Here is an insight of the conversation.

About the performance 

Odisha FC has extended their unbeaten streak to 11 matches with the recent draw. Sergio Lobera appeared content with the draw, yet he also suggested that he would have been even more pleased had they secured a victory. 

He said, “You can’t be that happy when you haven’t won the game and got the three points. But I’m happy for the efforts my players gave in this short period of time while playing regular matches. And I think, it was an equal game on both sides, very tactical and there was too little chance of changing the course of the match.”

Controversial decision

In the final moments of the match, the referee flagged Roy Krishna for offside, a decision that Odisha FC’s team on the field believed could have led to a penalty.

On a question regarding it, Sergio replied, “Everyone saw that it was a penalty. Also in the final of the Super Cup, it wasn’t a penalty foul. It was very painful to lose the game that way. But the referees have a difficult job to do. They are also humans. They keep working hard and don’t want to commit any mistake.”

Jahouh missing out the next match

Ahmed Jahouh will be absent from the upcoming match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant due to suspension. His absence may impact the Juggernauts, who are playing their first match after a 15-day gap.

“We will prepare in the best possible way for the next game and it’s not important for me to lose just a single player. If we look to win the match against Mohun Bagan then we need to work as a team. And I have enough players to compete against them, in the absence of Jahouh”, he added.

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