Gerard Nus: We deserved the three points against Odisha FC

The Spaniard spoke on the back of his side's draw against Odisha FC.

NorthEast United and Odisha FC played out an exciting 2-2 draw at the GMC Stadium in Goa. The draw meant it was NorthEast United’s fifth in the eight matches that they have played so far. Odisha opened the scoring through Diego Mauricio in the 23rd minute, but his goal was canceled out by Benjamin Lambot in the 45th minute. The Highlanders then took the lead in the second half with a penalty from Kwesi Appiah, but the lead didn’t last long as Cole Alexander equalized just minutes later with a brilliant finish. NorthEast United head coach Gerard Nus spoke to the media after the game. 

The Spaniard believed that his team deserved the three points. “I think we deserved the three points. I think we had a really great performance with the ball. We created chances. It was probably the game that we deserved more to score compared to other games. 

“The thing is that this league is so competitive and once you don’t keep that kind of focus and energy 100%, then the team is going to punish you. Everybody has good players. We knew about it. Disappointed for the result, but I cannot say anything again about the workrate and commitment of all the players.”

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https://youtu.be/nIodvemb6ng

Federico Gallego’s Substitution

Federico Gallego was having a very good match until he was substituted early in the first half to be replaced by Idrissa Sylla. On being asked about the reason behind the substitution, the Spaniard replied, “Like anybody he is a player and can be substituted. In that case, he was injured, he came from an injury. Even though he was bringing a lot to the game, fitness was low. 

“He was going down. We knew that even before the game. To be fair, the plan was that he would play even less, but we kept him on the pitch because he was bringing a lot. You want to prevent him from getting injured again. There’s going to be more games and we want him to be ready for the next game as well. At the same time, we trust 100% in the players that came in. They did all the best and I am happy with their performance as well.”

Missed Chances

NorthEast United missed a lot of chances before Lambot eventually equalized in the 45th minute. On being asked if he was disappointed with the number of missed opportunities, the Highlanders’ coach replied, “I think it was one of those matches that you have the feeling that you have the whole of chances, but you think it’s going to be hard. Sometimes you have less chances and you score goals. 

“This is how it works. This is football. Sometimes you deserve more and get less, sometimes the other way around. Let’s stick to the positives. We played eight games and we lost only one. We’re going to be fighting until the last game, until the last minute, like we proved today. We go for the three points no matter who’s the opponent. No matter if they did well or they did bad. We started the season beating Mumbai and nobody else did that. Today, against a team that didn’t get a win we  were so close for the three points, but we didn’t get them.”

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Khassa Camara on bench

Defensive midfielder Khassa Camara has been absolutely monumental for the Highlanders. But, the midfielder didn’ t find himself in Gerard Nus’ starting XI. On being asked about his exclusion, the Spaniard said, “Firstly, because you have to play eleven players and you have different options. Simple as that. Camara has got three yellow cards and also is a foreigner. 

“You have the rule that only five can play. Those things also are taken into consideration. In terms of his performance, before this game, I think he has been outstanding. One of the best players so far, not only for us but also in the league. He impressed everyone. I am so happy about him, but also with the rest of the players.”

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