Following FC Goa’s superb display against FC Pune City at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, the Gaurs got off the bottom of the table to leapfrog their opponents into seventh place and the smiles returned to their faces. After struggling through the first phase of the campaign and winning just one game and drawing another, it was tough going for Zico’s men.
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Two years ago, Zico found his team in a similar position with seven games of the campaign gone but the legendary Brazilian turned it around in style in the second phase as his team went on an unbeaten run, winning five of the next seven games and drawing two to qualify for a spot in the semi-final.
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Zico has called on his squad to emulate the spirit shown by that FC Goa squad and to replicate it with power packed performances on the field. The head coach is positive about his teams’ chances this year as well and he hailed the fighting spirit his team showed right from kick off.
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“It is a great victory for our team that fought to the last minute. We had many opportunities to score but congratulations to my players on their performance today. And we played this game like our life depended on it. This is our life!” he exclaimed. The Brazilian also called out to fans to keep supporting the team through the tournament.
Zico also stressed on the need to turn around the ‘home form’ of his team after the Gaurs crashed to three straight defeats at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda. With the mood in the camp lifted after the victory in Pune, the players have their tails up and will be looking forward to continuing their rise up the table. “We are playing very well and we came close on some occasions but the results haven't gone our way yet at home. Like I said, we are playing like our life depends on it,” he explained.
Raju Gaekwad was a visibly happy man after the final whistle and spoke about continuing with similar performances for the rest of the season. “I’m very happy we got the victory today. It is only our second victory of the tournament but I hope that in the next six games, we are able to get as many points as possible to qualify for the semi-finals. That is our main aim. We need to keep up the performances and score more goals,” he opined.
Romeo Fernandes has also made a comeback into the team and has started the last two matches for the side. The winger who expressed his delight at the win also explained the need to remain grounded. “It is very nice that we won and we rose one position on the table. But there are still six games to go. Every in the team is happy about winning but we are all focussed on the game in Kerala and we are aiming to get another victory against the Blasters,” he asserted.
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