Happy with the result, says Khalid Jamil after draw against FC Goa

The Highlanders' head coach revealed that their plan to not concede early on in the game had ultimately failed.

NorthEast United’s three-match winning streak in the Indian Super League (ISL) came to a halt after playing out a 2-2 draw against FC Goa on Thursday. The Gaurs took the lead twice in the game, with Jesuraj scoring in the 21st minute and through a Gurjinder Kumar own goal in the 80th minute. However, the Highlanders came from behind on both occasions through two penalties, both converted successfully by Federico Gallego. After the final whistle, NorthEast United head coach Khalid Jamil shared his thoughts on the draw with the media.

The 43-year-old was happy with the result. “(We are) happy with the one point. We are trying to get positive results which is three points but it happens only sometimes. Everybody played their normal game. I was hoping to get three points but sometimes it’s okay. Now I am thinking about the next match after two days.”

Good result against a good team

When asked about the importance of three points against another top-four contender, the former Mohun Bagan manager stated, “It (three points) is important but definitely Goa also, they are also a good team. They have quality players and their coach and foreign contingent are also good. So it was a tough game."

On the execution of the game plan

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When asked if his team were able to execute his gameplan for tonight, the Highlanders manager said, “We tried not to concede a goal at least in the first half. This was our plan. But we conceded an early goal, but after that, we staged a comeback. In the second half, we conceded again, so next time we will have to be very careful."

Going for the win

When asked if his team could have gone for the win after equalizing for the second time in the match, the former Aizawl manager replied, “We always think about winning. At the end also we tried and that’s why we had Sylla and Ninthoi for attack. We tried to make Machado come inside with Gallego because they play together well. They tried their best.”

Best XI

With the return of right-back Ashutosh Mehta, the Highlanders’ manager was asked if he had found his best XI. “The problem was Ashutosh not there, with Khassa (Camara) also not playing. So we had to find another new combination. In the last match also, Nim and Lakra played well. Maybe we will try them next time. (Dylan) Fox as well - when he is fit, he will be back in the team. We will see," he concluded.