ISL 2017: "Seeing the fans happy makes our day," says FC Goa hat-trick hero Corominas
It was another thrilling night at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Saturday as over 18,000 fans witnessed another se\ven-goal thriller for the second time in a row once again going in the home team's favour. FC Goa's Spanish striker Ferras Corominas was once again the hero of the match with his seven-minute hattrick in the second half that put the game way beyond the reach of the Kerala Blasters.
''I just took my chances and thankfully they all went in,'' said an ecstatic Corominas, who continues to set the benchmark and break records every week. The striker has now scored the first goal of ISL 2017, the first hattrick of the season and the fastest hattrick in the competition's history.
He added, "Besides being the fastest (hattrick) in the ISL, it is also the fastest hattrick I've ever scored in my career. As long as the team is winning and I can contribute to the efforts, I'm really happy and to see the fans visibly happy just makes our day.''
On a night that saw a firey attack from both sides, FC Goa's defence was once again questioned after conceding a whopping eight goals in four games. The amount of goals conceded has already had an effect on the team's position, keeping them in second place behind Bengaluru FC on goal difference.
''It is something that we need to work on. We have scored a lot of team goals but we need to work and shift focus on the defence, not only on the backline but also our team as a whole. Our style of play is open and we like to take risks so the chances are higher and that is something we will continue to work on,'' said FC Goa's head coach Sergio Lobera.
Lobera was also quick to defend his goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani who has come under heavy fire for a string of supposedly below-par performances in recent games. He said, ''Defence does not only include just the goalkeeper but the entire team as well. When the team is not doing well defensively the first person that has to take responsibility is the coach. We have to work together and take responsibility together. Football is a team game.''
''My next challenge is Delhi and I'm not looking too far ahead. If you become too ambitious, you tend to lose focus and it's not something we should do at this stage. We saw the fans today, we saw the atmosphere and that's what we play for, we don't want to let our fans down,'' said a still quite humble Sergio Lobera, who isn't quite considering FC Goa title contenders this early. The coach loves to enjoy the victory in the moment and get back to work the very next day.
Meanwhile, Kerala Head Coach Rene Meulensteen regretted losing marquee player Dimitar Berbatov so early in the game, saying, ''It was definitely a big setback, Berbatov has been a catalyst to keep the composure and quality in the team when needed. Berba is not a soft player, I know him very well. The extent is not clear but he wouldn't have come off unless it was something serious.''
''I have to say they've got some really good footballers, especially in the middle. Jahouh, Bedia, Lanzarote and the rest that's where the team is operating from (the middle). They got a good understanding and know what the coach wants. But once you get the cushion of three goals, it gives you a confidence boost.'' said Coach Meulensteen who did not downplay the quality of the Goan side but did admit that it was the mistakes from his side that cost them the game.
He explained, ''It was a frantic start, we got outplayed and our tactic of playing out from the back didn't work very well. A game full of mistakes, from them and from us but of course more from us. We have been defending very well in the ISL so far and the three goals in seven minutes were a huge blow to us, it's not something we expected at all.''