Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], January 5 : Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza expressed his displeasure with the way his team allowed Jamshedpur FC to make a comeback during their recent Indian Super League (ISL) defeat.
Jamshedpur FC made a strong comeback and overturned a deficit to defeat Bengaluru FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Saturday. Muhammed Uvais scored a late winner shortly after Jordan Murray cancelled out Alberto Noguera's first-half goal.
The 2-1 defeat marked Bengaluru FC's fourth defeat of the season. With another loss, Bengaluru FC missed an invaluable opportunity to close the gap on the league leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
Zaragoza felt the outcome could have been different if his team had capitalized on the opportunities in the first half. He was disappointed, especially with how Uvais netted the winning goal.
"We gave them three points. We had control of the game, total control of the game. The first half could have finished 2-0, 3-0 and we could have killed the game. I loved the game that my players did but we cannot lose three points and one point. Because we are away from home and we did a good game. They have this kind of football, long balls and long passes and balls inside the box. And finally, they scored like this. This is what I said to my players: first we don't need to receive these kinds of balls, but also, we cannot receive the second goal (in that manner)," he said in the post-match press conference as quoted from ISL.
This was just the second instance where the Blues lost an ISL match after holding a lead at halftime, the previous occurrence being against Kerala Blasters FC in the 2020-21 season.
Despite maintaining their second-place position, Bengaluru FC has to cover up a five-point deficit as Mohun Bagan SG continue to hold the top spot. Zaragoza reiterated his frustration with the result, emphasizing his focus on winning rather than their standings.
"We were leading this game.. I'm angry because of this. I love to win. My players love to win. Not because we are near Mohun Bagan SG or FC Goa. We were thinking about winning today and we did not win," he said.
Bengaluru FC will face Mohammedan Sporting Club in their next match, followed by a match against Hyderabad FC, both teams at the lower end of the table.
Zaragoza's men will then host Odisha FC before ending January with a vital match against Mohun Bagan SG at the Salt Lake Stadium.
When asked to reveal his message to the players after the game, Zaragoza said, "This is not over. We need to do one great January and we are going to have a great January for sure."
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