Great opportunity to play against the best teams: Devendra Murgaokar

GOA: Indian Super League (ISL) team FC Goa's forward Devendra Murgaokar said on Tuesday that it has been a great opportunity to play in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Group Stage, even though he had come out only as a substitute in the two games against Al-Rayyan and Al Wahda.

"I feel good. It was a good experience playing some real big games. These are the kind of games a footballer looks forward to," said Murgaokar ahead of the clash against powerhouse, Iran's Persepolis FC later on Tuesday.

FC Goa, who are the first team from India to play in the prestigious tournament, gave a good account of themselves in both the ACL Group E matches, holding the two top Gulf teams to goalless draws.

On whether he was surprised that his team was able to snatch a point against two very tough opponents, Murgaokar said, "Yes and no. We had to grow into the situations very quickly. We know that any mistake is going to be punished. So, our focus has really shown. Knowing the importance of playing as a team, every day we are pushing ourselves to be better."

Currently, FC Goa are placed second in Group E with two points from two draws and are only behind Persepolis FC, who have six points from two outings.

However, Murgaokar said there was still room for improvement. "I think we can do a lot better in the attacking aspect. We haven't scored a goal yet but we are getting closer. I hope that it comes very soon."

Brandon Fernandes, who almost scored against Al Wahda as one of his efforts hit the post, too is happy with FC Goa's showing in the top competition. IANS

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