FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando was pleased to start their maiden AFC Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against a strong opponent like Qatar's Al-Rayyan SC.
The Gaurs fought toe-to-toe against the Qatari club on their Champions League debut and managed to pull off a memorable result.
What did Juan Ferrando say?
"We are happy because we played against a very good team," stated Ferrando after the game. "Everyone knows about the quality of their players. Playing against Laurent Blanc (Al Rayyan manager) who won the World Cup in 1998. It was very difficult but we are happy with this point.
"But from a coach's point of view, we need to grow in some details and tactics. We need to improve in certain aspects of the attack because this is AFC Champions League and it is necessary to prepare and compete in every aspect."
The Spanish coach further mentioned that the draw against a team like Al Rayyan will boost their confidence manifold and help them prepare well for the remaining five matches in the group stage.
"It is important because it is positive before preparing for the next game. For me, it is necessary to talk about this moment. We have five more games. The first game went well, the new target for Saturday is to further improve in attack. We have to go step by step and continue improving. This is not our limit and we have to improve more," mentioned the FC Goa manager.
FC Goa
'Difficult to stick to one particular plan'
"In football, it is difficult to stick to one plan. Imagine if we would have conceded a goal in the first minute, we had to prepare a plan 'B'. Of course, our team tried to work on three plans - 0-0, 1-0 and 0-1. Also, it is very important that the players have a clear mentality, depending on the score and the time.
"Today between 60-70 minutes, it was very difficult for us it became impossible to play against the pressing of Al-Rayyan who played very good. The players were very tired. But I am happy. It is necessary now to change the plan for next Saturday in our next match," opined Ferrando when asked about his approach ahead of facing Al Rayyan.
The 40-year-old manager revealed that his players were tensed before facing the Qatar Stars League (QSL) runners-up, but thorough preparation in training sessions helped them to fight against Al-Rayyan.
"In the training sessions, we focused every day on the opponents of the Champions League. In the end, when you work on something everyday - morning and evening, I constantly told them to pay attention because these are very difficult games. The players knew that they need to concentrate not just individually but as a team too.
"We knew one-on-one Rayyan is better than us but as a team, we thought we will see. One hour before the game, the players were tensed but this is normal. I hope in the next game we will compete in the same way," stated the Spaniard.
FC Goa are set to play Al Wahda of UAE in the next match on Saturday.
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