Roca reveals clean sheet was priority, Lobera dubs the fixture difficult

The Blues put up a convincing display against the Gaurs last night to seal a place in the playoffs.

Bengaluru FC beat FC Goa 2-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday to qualify for the playoffs of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. Edu Garcia broke the deadlock for Bengaluru in the first half, while Dimas Delgado scored in the second period to secure maximum points and a playoffs berth for the Blues.

The victory made Bengaluru the first team to qualify for the playoffs and their head coach Albert Roca was a happy man after the final whistle. “I am very happy for everybody, especially for everyone involved with the club. Not easy today. You know in the morning today, Miku’s report stated he could not participate in today’s game, nothing serious though. But very happy with the win and the points. We’re in a good position now, and yes, I am very happy. The fans also go home with a smile on their faces,” he told reporters at the post-match press conference.

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When asked how his side would approach the remaining league matches having already qualified for the playoffs, the Spaniard added: “We will now be preparing for the playoffs but at the same time not lose concentration. Right now, it seems we have more or less found a balance in the team. It was important today to keep a clean sheet. This is the type of form we need to hold on to and proceed. It’s not easy but for me, my team has shown that it has the quality to play everywhere, in all competition.”

Meanwhile, Goa’s head coach Sergio Lobera rued his team’s inability to prevent Bengaluru from scoring from set-pieces. “I think we started the game well. In the first 20 minutes, we had the ball, we had possession. I think the game was very difficult. They scored from a set-piece and we knew they are strong in set-pieces and we cannot allow them to score from them, but they did. You know, in games like these it’s the little details that can make all the difference, and those details made a difference today,” Lobera said.