Hoped to win for people of India, says Ferrando

KOLKATA: On Monday night in Margao, FC Goa fans were getting ready to celebrate their first victory in the AFC Champions League. They were leading 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc-coached Al Rayyan of Qatar 1-0 till the 89th minute. Then disaster struck.

FC Goa goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, who was having a good night, got into a defensive tangle with centre-back James Donachie and watched agonised as the hopeful pass from Abdulaziz Hatem slipped from under him and was stabbed home by substitute forward Ali Fereydoun. His mask abandoned, head down, Blanc raised his right arm.

FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando was heartbroken. “It is difficult when you lose in the last minute. But, the truth is that we are playing against very good teams. It is a pleasure to play against Persepolis, Al Wahda and Al Rayyan,” Ferrando said. “It was a very important game because the situation in India is very difficult at this moment. We were thinking that if we win it will be a good moment for the Indian people because it’s very difficult for the players at the moment. They were talking about playing for India because I know about the difficult moments. But, we conceded at the last moment. This is football,” he added.

Jorge Ortiz gave FC Goa the lead in the third minute of the Group E match. “Of course, we need to improve. We have our next match against Al Wahda. There are some injuries, and it is difficult to prepare. The medical staff have been working tirelessly,” Ferrando said.

“We needed to be better during the transition prior to conceding. That’s a big difference between the other teams playing here and us. It was a terrible moment for my players to concede at the last moment. They were also exhausted,” he said.