FC Goa have to push from the beginning, will definitely score against BFC: Odei

Panaji: Only four times in 20 semi-finals ties in ISL history have teams that have lost the first leg managed to overturn the deficit and reach the final. That gives Bengaluru FC a 71% chance of winning the clash against FC Goa.
It’s a stat that Goa won’t like, not because it puts them in a disadvantageous position after losing the first leg 2-0. Coach Manolo Marquez dislikes numbers and past results, but captain Odei Onaindia believes his team can turn the match on its head, given what they have done at home in the past.
“In our team meeting, we spoke about the previous game against Bengaluru at Fatorda,” Odei told TOI during the pre-match media interaction on Saturday. “We have done it in the past, so we have to push from the beginning. With our fans, we can do it together. We can score two goals or three. We are all confident.”
Odei is referencing the 3-0 win against Bengaluru in the first leg. It came at a time when the visitors were flying high and Goa just beginning to strike form. Eventually, Goa went on a 12-match unbeaten run and finished second, ten points ahead of Bengaluru.
Bengaluru, though, are the in-form team in the playoffs. With a 2-0 advantage from their win at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the former champions already have one foot in the semis. They nullified a Goa attack that had scored 43 goals this season and failed to find the net just once before the semifinal.
“It was a very equal game,” said the Goa captain. “There were some details (that made the difference), but we are confident. We have a very good squad. All of us together believe (we can win), and with the fans, I know that we will do it.
“We have to start doing what we did towards the second leg of the season. I know we will score. We have scored in every game (except the semis) and we have scored three times against Bengaluru (in the league stage).”