Need to keep heads up, states Edu Bedia ahead of FC Goa's remaining ACL games

The Gaurs were subjected to a humbling 4-0 defeat by Persepolis on Friday.

FC Goa’s maiden voyage into Asia’s biggest continental club competition, the AFC Champions League started off on a positive note as the Gaurs eked out two points from their first two games thanks to some spirited display from everyone across the pitch. That run has been jolted off late after two consecutive losses at the hands of Iranian powerhouse Persepolis, with the latest being a morale-sapping 0-4 loss. However, Goa skipper Edu Bedia has issued a rallying cry ahead of the Gaurs’ last two games of the group stage.

“We need to keep our heads up. We have been competing against the best teams in Asia. A few years ago this was unthinkable for an Indian team,” stated Bedia, Edu who is now into his fourth season with FC Goa.

The Gaurs were able to hold off the threat of Qatar’s Al-Rayyan and the UAE’s Al-Wahda in the opening two games. The two goalless draws to start off the campaign was not only a show of grit, but also of the abilities that the Gaurs possess on the ball.

Juan Ferrando’s men eked out opportunities to attack their opposition at any possible moment and can even count themselves unlucky on certain occasions. One can be forgiven for thinking that if luck was on the side of the Gaurs’, they could have gotten more out of the opening games.

And now the skipper has issued a rallying cry to all as he believes that the Gaurs can truly make history – not just by becoming the first Indian side to participate in the group stages of the AFC Champions League, but by pushing the envelope and looking to end the campaign with their eyes firmly fixed on second place on the table.

“We have to forget about the last game and think about the challenges that we have in front of us,” Edu Bedia added.

“We can still mathematically finish second in the group. Now, that would be something historic. We have to recover from the effort we put into all these games and believe that we can do it.”

FC Goa will look to take the first step towards the same when they take on Al Rayyan in their next game on Monday, April 26. Led by former World Cup winner, Laurent Blanc, the Qatari side has had a campaign to forget till now as they lie last on the table with just a point from their four games.

Juan Ferrando and his men will now look to pile further misery on the side.

For more football updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.