Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], December 3 : Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Juan Ferrando expressed happiness as they defeated Hyderabad FC 2-0 in Matchweek 8 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, also pointing out that the team was much better in the second half as they found right spaces and their chances were much clear.
Throughout the majority of the match, the Mariners unleashed a barrage of attacks through players like Sahal Abdul Samad, Kiyan Nassiri, and Jason Cummings on Hyderabad. Despite their efforts, Hyderabad FC resiliently resisted conceding a lead.
In the 85th minute, Mohun Bagan Super Giant defender Brendan Hamill broke the deadlock as he placed the ball in the bottom left corner of the net, scoring his first goal for the Kolkata-based football giants.
Following a plethora of yellow cards in the final 10 minutes of the match, Mohun Bagan Super Giant's right-back Asish Rai sealed the match in the 96th minute, sending the ball past Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh, handing his former team their fifth loss of the season.
Discussing the challenge posed by Hyderabad FC, the head coach acknowledged the significant improvement in their performance over the last few matches. Nevertheless, he emphasised that today, the Mariners deservedly secured the victory.
"It was a difficult match, we know. My opinion on Hyderabad is that in the last three matches, against Kerala Blasters FC, and also against Chennaiyin FC, they played better. They improved a lot of things. It is a difficult team, so I imagine the match for us was difficult because it is difficult to find the spaces. But okay, I am so happy because in the end, in the second half, we were much, much better. We found the spaces and in the end, our chances were more clear and (we) won the match," Ferrando stated in the post-match press conference, as quoted by an ISL press release.
After a disappointing outing against Odisha FC in the AFC Cup, Ferrando emphasises that a team's reaction to the results matters the most.
"For us today, the most important thing is the reaction. You know, because when you lose one match (on Monday) and then on Saturday you have to play another match away in a difficult situation, then the most important thing is the reaction. Of course, in the first half, we were not fresh. This is the truth. We are not clearly in this with all, but in the second half, we were much better," he shared.
The Spanish tactician expressed concern regarding the return of Dimitri Petratos and Manvir Singh from injury. Ferrando feels that it is his responsibility to protect his players when they are injured.
"This is (on) medical staff. They are working a lot. They are trying to do their best day by day. It is difficult to talk about the injuries. It is very difficult to talk about and tell you what might happen next Wednesday or next Thursday because maybe tomorrow they feel much better. Maybe if the scan results are positive, then on Wednesday they will be ready. Manvir was much better but when he joined the national team, I do not know what happened in this case. He came back with an injury. Everybody knows about the injuries of Anwar Ali and Ashique Kuruniyan. It is difficult," he explained.
MBSG continued their unbeaten run with five wins in five matches, marking a perfect start to the season. The 42-year-old gives full credit to the players for this achievement and emphasises its positive impact on their mentality.
"We won five matches. It is not so easy. It is because the players are doing a good job. It is incredible because all the matches we play for example, away in Chennai and now for example today in Hyderabad, are difficult, you know but for me, I am happy when the team have the ambition to win the next matches. Our mentality will be to keep going and looking forward," he concluded.
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