Happy with win, not performance, says Manolo Marquez after Goa match

The victory sent the Nizams two points clear at the top.

Hyderabad FC took major steps towards playoffs qualification with a 3-2 win over FC Goa at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. A brace from Bartholomew Ogbeche and a long ranger from Joao Victor were enough to cancel out strikes from Jorge Ortiz and Devendra Murgaonkar. The result elevates Manolo Marquez and co to the top of the league table with 32 points.

The Spaniard was not fully convinced by his team’s performance, but asserted the importance of the three points. He talked about his team’s effort, Ogbeche’s importance and more in the post-match press conference with the media:

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Winning is more Important

While talking about the match, the tactician expressed disappointment with the performance, but delight with the result. Manolo Marquez said, “Now that we are in the last stages, the important thing is the victory. I am not happy if we speak about other things. We defended bad. We know they have good offensive players and midfielders like Edu Bedia and Brandon Fernandes.

"It’s the day when we defended the worst in the league, but the important thing is the three points and continuing to fight for the top four, but we have three games and very hard opponents.”

Regaining top spot

Hyderabad FC are back on top of the league table. Speaking in this context, he said, “I know we are on top, but the table is not real because we have (played) one game more than some teams. Of course, we are on top and we are very happy. I think that the season has been fantastic for Hyderabad FC. Now, we need to win the competition in top four, for the first time in the history of Hyderabad.”

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Happy with in

FC Goa played well and had more possession in several phases of the match. Talking about his team’s performance and the result at the end, Manolo Marquez said, “When you play against Goa, usually they have the ball. But, our team, if we compare it with last season, we have less possession. However, we score goals without creating a lot of chances. Today, we scored three goals. I repeat, I am not happy with the game but very happy with the win.”

Praise for players

Lastly, the head coach held his team in praise, in addition to complimenting Bartholomew Ogbeche. He concluded by saying, “Yes, he scored the first two goals today and I think he is a very good striker for our team. Maybe, I am negative today, but all the team, from Kattimani to the last player, they are playing at a high level.” 

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