Margao, Oct 6 (FN Agency) NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali voiced his disappointment after his side missed out on a win in their thrilling 3-3 draw against FC Goa in Friday night’s Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Fatorda Stadium here in Goa. The visitors took the lead early in the match through Nestor Albiach, but FC Goa responded in first-half stoppage time as Armando Sadiku converted a penalty to level the score. Sadiku then scored again shortly after halftime to give FC Goa the advantage, only for Albiach to equalize just four minutes later. In-form Alaeddine Ajaraie restored NorthEast United FC’s lead five minutes later, but Herrera’s dramatic strike in the 94th minute salvaged a point for the Gaurs in a pulsating encounter. “Well, we were very good. We could have won here for the second time. But we were unlucky,” Benali stated in the post-match press conference.“But again, this is FC Goa, they’re playing at home.
I’m proud of my players—proud of the wolves of NorthEast,” he added.Benali expressed his insights on the match against FC Goa as his side shared the spoils in a six-goal thriller in Goa. The Gaurs pressed forward relentlessly in search of an equalizer during the final half-hour of the match, and their efforts paid off in stoppage time when last game’s hat-trick hero, Borja Herrera, found the back of the net once again to salvage a point for the home side. When asked about FC Goa’s persistent second-half attacking display, Benali stated, “They’re losing by one goal, they needed to push, they’re at home, we’re winning by one goal. We went to the back, and we started to panic a little bit because we didn’t want to throw the game. We got injuries, players got tired, and we needed changes.” “We wanted them to get the ball because we knew we could hurt them on the counter-attack, as there’s a lot of space. But unfortunately, the change didn’t work for us,” Benali added.
The Highlanders have now let points slip in their last three outings—two draws and one loss—despite having taken the early lead in all three matches. While Benali praised the commitment and performance of his players, he couldn’t hide his frustration at missing out on crucial points, remarking, “I must be proud and happy for them. What happened in the dressing room is between them and me. I’m very happy (with the performance of his players). (But) I’m not happy with one point.” “We could have taken the three points. This is why we came here. We didn’t come here because it’s beautiful. We didn’t come for a holiday. We came (here) to take three points. Against a very, very good team with a great coach. But unfortunately, we dropped two points,” he added.