I-League 2017-18: Aizawl FC coach Paulo Meneses - We would have topped the table if we converted chances this season

Aizawl and NEROCA played out a goalless draw at the Khuman Lampak Stadium on Saturday. Both sides had chances to score but finishing let them down.

"Our (Aizawl) plan worked very well. We knew that playing here was difficult. We lost two of our best players. We lost more central defenders. So we needed to change something. We cannot come here and play like we play at home," said Aizawl FC head coach Paulo Meneses. 

"We controlled the game and played very well. If we scored half of the chances that we created this season, we would have been first on the table. It is amazing. We try to improve in training," rued Meneses as his team found it difficult to convert chances throughout the ninety minutes.

Aizawl were without key players who had succumbed to injuries but Meneses is not willing to give up on a climb up towards the top-four. 

"We cannot give up. We have games left. Now, I hope we will have centrebacks. We will never give up."

NEROCA head coach Gift Raikhan was reasonably happy with the draw despite demanding three points from his team before the game.

"It would have been good to have three points. Luckily, we got a point. I take it in a positive way. We could have lost today. We are still very close to Minerva," claimed Raikhan.

"We could have scored and then we are winning. We missed chances and that is why we lost two points. It was a competitive, high-intensity match today. We wanted to win but somehow, we got one point."