Very happy for Aiban and Ali, says Juan Ferrando after draw with Blasters

The Spaniard spoke about the Gaurs' multiple injury concerns and how they have been affecting their performances.

A tense affair between Kerala Blasters and FC Goa in the Indian Super League ended in a stalemate. A deflected freekick by Jorge Ortiz in the first half allowed Goa the lead, but a sublime header from Rahul KP evened the scores for the Blasters early in the second half before Ivan Gonzalez was shown two yellows in succession. The defender was the second premature exit for the Gaurs as James Donachie had to be subbed out due to injury. The 1-1 scoreline adds more damage to the Blasters’ playoffs hopes while Juan Ferrando and Co's breathing room in the top four has been reduced.

Takeaways from the game

A win is what Juan Ferrando plays for, no matter what the situation. When asked if he is satisfied with the point, the Spaniard said, “No. Of course not. Our mentality is to win three points. Today, we had a lot of problems during the game but at the end one point is not enough for us.”

Juan Ferrando and his valiant Gaurs had to deal with James Donachie's injury, before Ivan Gonzalez got sent off in the second half. “Injuries, red cards, a lot of problems. When we were 11 on the pitch, I think Goa were better than Kerala. We found solutions after the problems occurred, but at the end it was very difficult," he emulated.

Thoughts on an all-Indian defence

Aiban Dohling and Mohamed Ali spearheaded an all-Indian defence for the Gaurs after Ivan Gonzalez was sent off. “I think I am very happy with Aiban and Ali," said Juan Ferrando. "For me, it is incredible after that three months, they managed to defend together well with one man short. I am very happy about this. Also, I am happy about Princeton (Rebello). I'm happy about the character of Alberto (Noguera), Edu (Bedia) and everybody. However, it is necessary to improve more like a team," he added.

Injury concerns

The recent injury troubles plaguing the Goan outfit got amplified during the course of the match. Brandon Fernandes missed the squad list, while Igor Angulo made an appearance from the bench. “The most important thing is to take care of the players. James was injured today. Brandon was injured last week. We needed to protect Igor, so he didn’t play against ATKMB and only played 45 minutes today," the Spaniard explained.

 Kerala Blasters routinely tried to probe the Gaurs' defence, but found rare openings, mostly through set-pieces. Speaking on that, Juan Ferrando said, “At the end, it was down to set-pieces all the time. In my opinion, their main inlet was during transitions, when we lost the ball carelessly and then through, set-pieces.”