FC Goa lost for the very first time in AFC Champions League against the Iranian giants Persepolis FC by 2-1, at Fatorda Stadium in Goa. Juan Ferrando’s side took an early lead but can’t maintain it as Persepolis scored two goals within the opening half-hour. This was the third consecutive group stage win for Persepolis FC as they top the table with 9 points.
After the match, the Spaniard addressed the media in the post-match press conference.
“We played against one of the best teams in Asia. They are a very good team and the game was a very good experience for us. Of course, I am not happy because we made a lot of mistakes in passes, in the press, and lost the ball in some easy situations. Players were very tired, so it was difficult to give our 100%,” said Ferrando reacting to the match.
FC Goa will face Persepolis FC again on Friday in the reverse fixture. Ferrando insisted saying,
“It’s most important for us to recover as soon as possible because after 48 hours we will again play Persepolis. We need to improve in many details and only good words can be spoken about Persepolis as they are one of the best teams. Here at this competition fitness is the most needed thing.
“Now, it’s time to prepare a new plan. The most important thing is the psychology in the dressing room. We know we’re in Champions League,” he added.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation, no fans are allowed into the stadium.
“Today after half-time many players told me ‘Juan, my legs are not okay to play.’ Glan Martins was running on a low battery. Edu Bedia was fighting all the time but was very tired. The same was with Ortiz. We needed to take care of Pandita. Maybe if supporters were there in the stadium, they would have motivated and made the legs work more,” Juan Ferrando told, regarding how fans’ presence could have helped the players and could have motivated them.
Juan Ferrando concluded by saying it wasn’t a good time to speak about the referring decisions made in the past games.
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