Josep Gombau: I think that the game had two halves

The loss puts the hosts in a very dicey situation in regard to their playoffs qualification.

The rampant FC Goa eased to a 2-4 victory over Odisha FC, to cement their place at the top of the Indian Super League table. The loss means Odisha find themselves in real danger of losing out on a top-four spot with the likes of Mumbai City FC and Chennaiyin FC hot on their tails. Goals from Jackichand Singh and Ferran Corominas saw a spirited second half comeback for Josep Gombau's side go to waste. The Spanish manager voiced his opinion on what was an enthralling game of football.

"I think that the game had two halves. One half of the game for Goa, the next half for Odisha. First half was for Goa. Goa had control of the game and they played very well. They scored three goals, but for me, the second goal was offside. Clear offside."

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"Three mistakes and also the referee disallowed one goal for us that was totally legal. If you change this, it is very different."

The team from Bhubaneswar staged a comeback in the second half, with new signing Manuel Onwu scoring a brace in just six minutes.

"Second half, I think the game changed totally. I think we had all the control for the 45 minutes. We scored two goals, we had a chance to score the third one and if I am honest, Goa wasted a lot of time."

"I think the referee was involved a lot in the game. As a coach, I do not want to use this as an excuse because that is not my way, but I have to give my opinion."

Manu Onwu, who arrived at Odisha from Bengaluru FC during the January transfer window, enjoyed an excellent debut, scoring two and having one contentiously ruled out by the referee.

"Manu, our new striker scored three goals. Two goals were allowed and one goal was disallowed. He made a hat-trick in his first game and I think that this is something that is very good."

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Odisha currently sit precariously in fourth place, with Mumbai City and a resurgent Chennaiyin breathing down their necks with games in hand. Josep Gombau expressed his concern over the situation and promised that his side would do everything in their power to keep hold of their playoffs spot.

"Look, we will try. Good thing is that next week, we recover everybody. We will have 100% of the team available. With these all together, we will fight for these three games that remain," Josep Gombau concluded.

Odisha FC take on ATK in what will be a tricky fixture on the 8th of Feburary.