'Weather and humidity had the biggest impact' - Al-Rayyan's Laurent Blanc rues missed chances against FC Goa

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The former PSG coach credited FC Goa for being rock-solid in defence against his team...

Laurent Blanc's Al-Rayyan SC were off to a disappointing start in the AFC Champions League 2021 as they were held to a goalless draw by Indian Super League (ISL) side FC Goa in their opening match of Group E on Wednesday evening.

The former Qatar Stars League (QSL) runners-up side were clear favourites heading into the clash against the AFC Champions League debutants. But the Indian club fought valiantly to hold the giants.

Former France football team captain and PSG coach Laurent Blanc, who is in charge of the Al-Rayyan side, was impressed with FC Goa's defensive resilience and suggested that the humid weather in Goa affected his team.

"The weather and humidity had the biggest impact on Al Rayyan's level of performance during the Goa match. We did not take advantage of the opportunities we got and failing to register a goal at the beginning of the match made the team’s task further difficult and gave confidence to the Goa team, who played in a tight defensive manner."

He added, "Goa played a big match, and I think both coaches saw the other team before this match, and we controlled about 70 per cent of the match."

The former Manchester United defender stated that he was disappointed to drop two crucial points against the Gaurs and is now eyeing full three points in their next game against Iranian champions Persepolis FC.

"We could have achieved victory, but there was no exploitation of the opportunities we missed. We lost two points today, and we have to win against Persepolis of Iran in the next round."

2021-04-15 10:00:07

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