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Bengaluru, February 3: Even a last-minute equaliser, which is generally a thing of big relief for teams in football, did not bring much cheer to the FC Goa camp.

Though the Gaurs scored a late equaliser against Odisha FC in their Indian Super League (ISL) tie on on Monday (February 2) night, their play-off chances have literally gone up in smoke.

Considering the number of chances that the Gaurs created, Alexander Romario Jesuraj's last-minute equaliser gave them what one might think to be a consolation point.

"I wouldn't say the result is fine, because seeing the way we dominated, we should've gotten the three points. At the same time, losing wouldn't have been fair at all - so I'm happy that we could draw the match at least," Romario was quoted as saying by FC Goa Media.

The winger turned out to be the unexpected hero for Derrick Pereira and his boys, scoring with what was one of the final touches of the game. He nodded home a delightful cross from Airam Cabrera to earn his team a vital point.

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This was Romario's second goal of the season, after netting only once in his previous season.

"Since it was the last minute, my mindset was to enter into the Odisha FC box and I knew that Airam was capable of delivering a quality ball. I felt that if I went inside, I could make something happen. Luckily, the ball came to me directly and I could head the ball correctly into the goal," he explained.

"Scoring a last-minute goal is special to every player and so is it to me. Hence, I'm very happy that I was able to contribute to the team."

Work on grey areas

FC Goa now have a decent break before their next ISL match, which is on February 10 against Chennaiyin FC.

The Gaurs had defeated the Marina Machans when the two sides met in the first phase of ISL 2021-22 season last month.

The bio bubble of ISL burst after many coronavirus (COVID-19) positive cases and most of the clubs were affected with Goa suffering the most.

The players had a bad time throughout January, spending more time in isolation than in training sessions or matchdays.

The upcoming break, hence, would ideally be great for the Gaurs as it offers ample time for the team to refresh themselves.

"We have a lot of time to practice and be ready for the next game. The team is a little upset that we are not getting the expected results. We will hence definitely utilise the time to recover, analyse and learn from our mistakes," Romario said.

"My heart feels a little heavy to think that we got 15 points from 15 matches. We could've won a few more games - but on the bright side anything can happen in football.

"Therefore, going forward we will play as a single unit with a positive mindset, and produce the best possible results," he signed off.

FC Goa will look to bring back the smiles on the faces of both the team and their fans next week when they will look do the double against Chennaiyin FC. Forca Goa! Bring it on!