Chennai, January 10: Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera voiced his displeasure at his team's performance, despite their comeback from a two-goal deficit to salvage a point against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, saying that the result is more because of their player's mistakes rather than the merit of the opposition.
Although the first half ended in a goalless draw, Wilmar Jordan Gil's quick brace within five minutes gave the hosts a solid lead in the second half. However, the Kalinga Warriors showed great resilience to mount a fightback and secure a gritty draw.
Dorielton Gomes scored his debut ISL goal for Odisha FC to pull one back in the 80th minute, while Rahul KP's bicycle kick hit the post before taking a huge deflection off Mohammad Nawaz in the rebound, sending the ball into the net just before the final whistle.
Lobera expressed dissatisfaction with the overall performance, noting that conceding easy chances and making simple mistakes ultimately cost his side valuable points against the Marina Machans.
"Finally, it is more about our mistakes than the merit of the opponent when we concede the goals. I respect Chennaiyin FC for 100 per cent sure. I think they played a very good game," he said in the post-match press conference as quoted by an ISL press release.
"But if you analyze the goals, it's more of our mistakes than the merit of the opponent. Finally, we need to be realistic. And we cannot be happy even if we score one goal in the last minute and we hold one point in a difficult place," he added.
Odisha FC are now winless in their last three games, dealing a significant blow to their hopes of climbing higher in the league standings. Lobera emphasized the importance of securing wins to move up the points table.
"It is true. With draws, it is not easy to be in a good position on the table. Finally, we need to win games. I think we need to improve. We need to analyze the game as professionals. As professionals, we cannot be happy," he stated.
"It is not possible because we scored one goal in the last minute and got a draw. Everything is amazing. We are professionals. We are not supporters; we are not journalists. It is important more than the result. I think we cannot give gifts to the opponent like this," Lobera further shared his thoughts on sharing points with Chennaiyin FC.
The Kalinga Warriors succumbed to a 2-4 defeat against FC Goa in their last home match, where they conceded two successive goals within three minutes in the second half.
The Odisha FC head coach voiced his displeasure at conceding back-to-back goals again in a similar fashion tonight, saying: "Finally, in the previous game against FC Goa, we conceded practically two goals in five minutes, starting the second half. And today, we did the same. And it's so difficult when you give the opponent gifts to come back and try to win the game."
"How many games we did not win and we scored two goals? A lot. That means we need to improve giving more balance to the team in attack and defence. But silly mistakes, we need to try to avoid this," Lobera signed off.
