A goal in the first half and two more at the beginning of the second half had put NorthEast United in the driver’s seat in their Indian Super League (ISL) away clash against FC Goa. However, the Highlanders could not sustain the lead as FC Goa found the equaliser in injury time to spoil the visitors’ hopes of winning three points.
Needless to say, the NorthEast United coach Juan Pedro Benali was not happy with the draw. His team acquired only one point and are currently placed fifth in the ISL 2024-25 standings.
“We could have taken the three points. This is why we came here. We did not come here because it is beautiful. We did not 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,” Benali said at the post-match press conference.
NorthEast United took an early lead through Nestor Albiach’s sixth-minute strike, but FC Goa’s Armando Sadiku equalized in first-half injury time. Sadiku then added a second goal to put Goa ahead 2-1.
Nestor, however, did not take much longer to score the equaliser. In the 56th minute, Alaeddine Ajaraie gave the NorthEast United the lead. Although the club managed to prevent FC Goa’s relentless attack for most of the second half, Borja Herrera’s injury-time goal was the spoilers.
‘We panicked when FC Goa attacked’: Benali
When asked about FC Goa’s persistent second-half attacking display, Benali stated, “They are losing by one goal, they needed to push, they are at home, we are 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,” he added.
The NorthEast United have now conceded points in their last three outings – two draws and one loss – despite having taken the early lead in all three matches.
The Spanish coach of the Guwahati-based club was proud of his players but did not hide his frustration over the missed chances at the crucial juncture of the match.
“I must be proud and happy for them. What happened in the dressing room is between them and me. I am very happy (with the performance of his players). (But) I am not happy with one point,” he remarked.