"Totally disappointed," says Juan Ferrando after draw with NEUFC

The Spaniard had words of praise for Seriton Fernandes, who captained the side in Edu Bedia's absence.

An entertaining thriller ended in a stalemate after FC Goa and NorthEast United played out a 2-2 draw at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in the Indian Super League. After Alexander Romario opened the scoring, Federico Gallego equalized from the spot. Amarjit Singh’s finish from close range restored the Gaurs' lead before Gallego grabbed a second from the penalty spot again. Juan Ferrando and Co moved into third place while the Highlanders stayed on fifth with both of them and Hyderabad tied on 22 points.

Princeton's injury

The draw was tough on the Gaurs who started with a big disadvantage after an injury forced Princeton Rebello off. “I am totally disappointed to not get three points. After the injury of Princeton, it was difficult for us because we practiced with him.  We had to bring Amarjit and Glan (Martins) who only trained with us for a short time. It was very difficult for them to help the team. In the second half, we played long. When we play long, it gets difficult for us, because we have to control the second balls. It is not good for us. It is not our style," quoted a frustrated Juan Ferrando.

https://youtu.be/CWK9eKOMRH8

Praise for Seriton

Seriton Fernandes captained the side in the absence of skipper Edu Bedia. Juan Ferrando expressed his opinion on the full-back's character saying, “Seriton works a lot on the pitch. He's a good image for young players. He works hard in trainings and never misses them unless he has a big injury. He pushes the team, he fights. There are a lot of positive points. For our dressing room, it is a pleasure to have Seriton as a captain.”

Areas to improve

The two penalties his side conceded were a point of concern for the Spanish tactician. He said, “At the end, it is very important for us to control the timing. When you concede two penalties, it could be that the tackle is not at the right timing. We have a problem with these penalties.”

Further, there were several points to improve upon according to the Spaniard, especially for the new signings. “It is necessary to build the game. To control the space. To find the free man. Of course, we need to improve a lot. But it is the first time with Glan and Amarjit. Edu is coming for the next game. Maybe we can work on these details with the whole set of players,” Juan Ferrando concluded.