Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza shared his delight after a 2-0 first-leg semifinal win against FC Goa at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru in the ongoing Indian Super League on Wednesday.
Veteran defender Sandesh Jhingan scored an own goal in the 42nd minute whereas Edgar Mendez scored in the 51st minute to double the Blues’ lead.
The home team had 42.1% possession but took five shots on target. Zaragoza said his team is confident and they have been training well since the playoff has started.
“Before the game against Mumbai City FC, during those 10 days, in the training, the team showed this playoff mood, and you could see at that moment that we are confident,” Zaragoza said in the post-match press conference.
“The game against Mumbai City FC also gave us this mentality to say we need to enter the game like this because we know that FC Goa is one of the best teams in this league, and we needed to enter in the mood that we entered. Finally, I think that we deserved this win, and we could even score some more goals, but it’s what it is,” he added.
Bengaluru FC played with a potent defense in Namgyal Bhutia, Chinglensana Singh, and Naorem Roshan Singh and the Spaniard was happy with the trio’s performance.
“The reality is that they are in an amazing, amazing moment. Bhutia today, Man of the Match, Roshan, and the two center-backs, they’re very good,” he shared.
“When you have people like this, then it allows you to play, to put one foreigner more up. I hope that they continue like this; that’s the reality,” he continued.
The gaffer expects a tough game in the second leg and wants his players to stay focused on completing the job.
“We can only be focused. It’s the only thing that we can be,” he opined.
“It’s not a moment to be happy. It’s a moment, I say to the players; it’s a moment to recover, and it’s a moment to know that we are going to fight a lot in Goa because it will be a tough game there for sure,” Zaragoza concluded.
The second leg of the semifinal will be played on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa.
