It is for a reason that fans are known as the ‘12th man’ in football, and FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez believes that the Gaurs faithful have a big role to play in the semifinal second-leg clash against Bengaluru at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday.
FC Goa will start the match on the back foot, having lost the first leg by a 2-0 scoreline in the first leg, which took place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, which was rocking after the Blues clinched the win.
Now, Marquez wants the Goa fans to return the favour as their team faces an uphill battle in the second leg.
ALSO READ | FC Goa seeks crucial home win vs Bengaluru FC in ISL second leg battle
“We are confident, and we have a very good squad. We know there will be a lot of fans at Fatorda. We want our supporters to come to the stadium and do as good as or even better than the Bengaluru FC fans did tonight,” Marquez told the media.
The Spaniard refused to delve into the smaller details, saying that those hardly matter in crucial games and that the match will ultimately be played on the pitch.
“If we check back those little things we were doing, they were very good, especially in the last part of the season. I know that we will score because we have scored in most of the games this season… we scored three goals against them [Bengaluru] also.
Marquez showed respect to his opponent and lauded Bengaluru’s squad strength and how they pressed FC Goa in the first leg but said that he has good enough players who can turn the tide in the second leg in front of home support and go on to qualify for the final.
Fight in Goa will be tough
It is natural for a team to get complacent after a good win, but that is exactly what Bengaluru manager Gerard Zaragoza is trying to avoid as his team prepares to face the Gaurs in the second leg with a 2-0 aggregate lead.
“We can only be focused. That is the only thing we can be. It’s not a moment to be happy. It’s a moment, I say to my players; it is a moment to recover, and it is 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 said ahead of the match.
While he exercised caution, Zaragoza also praised his defenders for putting up an excellent show against FC Goa in the first leg, where, despite having the better numbers in attack, the Gaurs failed to breach the net.
He reserved special praise for Namgyal Bhutia, who grabbed the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his shift in the first leg and Naorem Roshan Singh.
“When you have people like this, then it allows you to play, to put one more foreigner up. I hope that they continue like this,” added Zaragoza.
