ISL: Doesn't matter who we face in semis, says Kerala's head coach Ivan Vukomanovic
Mar 07, 2022
Bambolim (Goa) [India], March 7 : Kerala Blasters FC finished the Indian Super League (ISL) season in fourth place after an eventful 4-4 draw with FC Goa at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Sunday.
KBFC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic has revealed that his side has some mental fatigue after the regular league season but now he is looking forward to their semi-final fixtures.
Jorge Diaz scored two goals within the first 25 minutes of the game, however, goals by Airam Cabrera and Aiban Dohling put FC Goa in a 4-2 lead. Two quickfire goals in the final few minutes of the game by Vincy Baretto and Alvaro Vazquez ended the game in a 4-4 draw.
In the post-match press conference, the Blasters' head coach said: "I think that nobody could have predicted this kind of result today. But if you see the fact that today's game was not important for both teams, we came to play football, and everybody wanted to enjoy this game tonight."
"So, I think that whoever was here tonight, enjoyed the goals, they enjoyed the moments. We should say that we're happy with the result, all the teams now in this part of the season, even both teams today are physically and emotionally empty. And we just wanted this regular part of the season to end," he added.
Talking about Kerala's potential semi-final opponent, Vukomanovic said: "Doesn't matter, really doesn't matter. Because I think that if you want to go through to the final, you have to beat two teams. So it doesn't really matter. Because now facing any of those teams, It's about quality. It's about fighting. It's about small details that will make a difference. So it doesn't matter. Whoever comes we will do our best to prepare. We'll do the things that we want to show on the pitch and hope for the best."
This eventful draw means that Kerala Blasters FC end the season in fourth place with 34 points and FC Goa finishes ninth in the ISL table with 19 points.