Goa looking for first win of the season against solid NorthEast (ISL Match 12)

Margao, Nov 29  FC Goa will be looking for their first win of the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Fatorda Stadium on Monday against a NorthEast United side who come into the game with a win and a draw in their first two matches.

FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando has ensured that the team stuch to their attacking philosophy in their first two games but they have thus far failed to get three points.

Ferrando will be eager to change that against the Highlanders, and continued to stress on continuing the same approach towards the games despite two unfavourable results.

“Our mentality is to win three points. I’m not happy with the result because we had more opportunities to win the game against Bengaluru. Against Mumbai, our players didn’t get enough opportunities,” he said on the eve of the match.

NorthEast, with their aggressive approach and strong wingers with good dribbling skills, won’t be an easy side to play.

“It’s important to take control. And we have a plan for the game. It’s important to have it. I can’t explain it but you can watch it tomorrow,” said the 39-year-old Spaniard.

In their last five meetings, NorthEast have failed to record a single win against Goa, losing thrice and drawing two. Coach Gerard Nus has seen his side upsetting a star-studded Mumbai City before coming from behind and stealing a point against Kerala Blasters. Their defensive duo of Benjamin Lambot and Dylan Fox have been exceptional so far.

“The mood is high and the players are excited about the performances in the first two games. There are a lot of things we can improve as individuals and also as a team,” said Nus. “But the most important is tomorrow’s game which will be a massive challenge for us and we need to understand that at the end of the day. FC Goa won the regular season last year and we shouldn’t forget that.”

Like Ferrando, Nus also stressed on the importance of taking control of the game. “The team that controls most of the game is the one that creates chances to win it. To create more chances than the opponents and to stop the opponents from creating chances (is what we aim to do),” he said.