'Al Nassr are not at our level', Manolo Marquez shares his thoughts on FC Goa's fourth defeat in AFC Champions League Two

Manolo Marquez’s FC Goa lost their fourth consecutive match in ACL 2 this season.

FC Goa suffered a disappointing 4-0 loss to Al-Nassr in their fourth match of the 2025-26 AFC Champions League 2 group stages in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday (5 November 2025). The Gaurs went down because of a brace from Abdulrahman Ghareeb, as well as goals from Mohammed Maran and an acrobatic finish from Joao Felix.

The defeat gave Al-Nassr a chance to secure a double win over Goa in the ACL Two group stages and move a step closer to qualifying for the knockout rounds. Manolo Marquez had mixed feelings over the result, as he stated after the game:

“I think we defended with order in the first half, and we only conceded because of a fantastic free kick. But it’s true during the entire game, because in the second half our team was very fired up. It’s true that in situations when the opponent is better than you, you need to keep the ball, and we should’ve kept it more than we did today.

“Obviously, the Al-Nassr pressing is better than that of all Indian clubs, but if we don’t try to play, we’ll lose the ball immediately, and then they’ll attack constantly. I hope Al-Nassr can win not only this competition, but their league also,” he added.

When asked about why the Gaurs’ performance seemingly declined from how they performed in the 2-1 loss to Al-Nassr in Goa, the Spaniard replied: “Obviously, when we play at home in front of our fans, and this ground is in a better condition than our ground. We were brave in Goa, and we defended with order in the first half, but in the second half we defended with more numbers than with order.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence

Cristiano Ronaldo did not play in either of the two matches against FC Goa, opting out due to workload management.

Marquez is understanding of why the Portuguese ace wasn’t risked for the matches against his side, as he stated: “I respect the job of our colleagues and I can understand perfectly why Cristiano didn’t play in Goa and didn’t play today.

“The decision of the Al-Nassr coach is normal. But obviously, we would’ve liked to see him in Goa more than in here. But I can understand his situation, and finally it’s clear that Al-Nassr is not at our level,” he also added.

Al-Nassr’s experience will improve FC Goa

Finally, when questioned on whether the games against Al-Nassr will prove to be a positive experience that helps improve his side going forward, Marquez claimed: “For sure, because already when we played three games in the cup between these two Al-Nassr matches, we qualified for the semi-finals and our pace is much better.

“That’s why in India I say that the target of FC Goa should be to qualify for Asian competitions every single season, to play these kinds of challenging matches and increase our level,” he finished off with.

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