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FC Goa succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Kerala Blasters in their fifth match of the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) season on Sunday (November 13).
Goa went into the match against Kerala Blasters on the back of a 3-0 win against Jamshedpur FC. However, the game did not go according to plan as Ivan Vukomanovic's men ultimately emerged victorious.
The Yellow Army went into the half-time break with a two-goal lead, courtesy of goals from Adrian Luna and Dimitrios Diamantakos. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi scored a stunner to grab their third.
Noah Sadaoui pulled one back for the Gaurs, with Seriton Fernandes providing the assist. However, that was not enough to fuel a comeback for Carlos Pena's men.
Goa had conceded just two goals in their first four matches of the season but shipped three goals against Kerala Blasters on Sunday. Speaking after the game, Gaurs boss Pena explained what went wrong in defense:
"In the first half, we conceded too many transitions and we knew that they were dangerous in that phase. But yes, of course, we had some troubles. We didn't do the counter-press properly, we couldn't press them high, and it costs us some problems."
The Gaurs had more joy against Kerala Blasters in the second half than they did in the first. Pena believes bringing Redeem Tlang on as a substitute helped the team improve their performance:
"In the second half, I think we we play better because we opened the pitch with the the two wingers - Redeem and Noah. We could link with them and create some chances. That's what we tried in the first half also, we couldn't do it."
Pena notably took Brandon Fernandes, who provided an assist in the team's 3-0 win against Jamshedpur, off around the one-hour mark to accommodate Tlang. Asked about the reason behind the decision to substitute the attacker, the Spaniard said:
"We thought that we needed more players on the lines, in the wide [areas] you know, and we decided to put Redeem in. Trying to find this [balance with] Iker [Guarrotxena] and Brandon together in the middle, they were not feeling comfortably between them."
He added:
"We preferred to open the pitch and tried to attack in another way and I think we we did good in some moments, but it was not enough because they had a big advantage."
Pena pleased with FC Goa's never give up attitude
While the match ultimately ended in defeat for the Gaurs, Pena was pleased with the attitude his players displayed against Kerala Blasters. He said:
"I think the team didn't give up. We went into the half-time break with 2-0. Difficult. We conceded the third one at the starting of the second half, it was not an easy situation."
He added:
"We came here with some injuries and the team didn't give up. We tried to come back till the last minute. It's time to learn, it's time to analyze what happened and move on to the next."
Left-back Saviour Gama was handed his first ISL start of the season against Kerala Blasters. However, he was forced off the pitch just 21 minutes into the game due to an injury.
Pena provided an update on the 25-year-old:
"We have to do some tests now. With these things, you need some days to have news."
The Gaurs will look to bounce back from their loss to Kerala Blasters when they host ATK Mohun Bagan at home on November 20.
