“Team was trying to fight until last minute”: East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat after losing to Bengaluru

News Mania Desk/ Sohom Chatterjee / 15th September 2024

East Bengal FC encountered defeat in their first game of the 2024-25 ISL season against Bengaluru FC. In their opening match on Saturday, September 14, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, EBFC were handed a 1-0 loss as Vinith Venkatesh scored the only goal.

The 25th minute goal from the Blues became the deciding factor in a game where the Red and Yellow squad enjoyed 55% of possession and attempted 10 shots, one more than BFC. Despite having star players like Dimitrios Diamantakos, Mahesh Naorem Singh and Nandhakumar Sekar in the attacking line, they could not find the net because either the threats were averted by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu or the shots were off target. And in the dying minutes of the game, where East Bengal were pushing for an equaliser, defender Lalnunchunga was sent off for two yellow cards in the 87th minute.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, EBFC coach Carles Cuadrat said, “I think that we’ve been fighting for the result. It’s clear that the team has been trying to fight until the last minute with one player less.”

“We created two more clear chances with Souvik Chakraborty and Cleiton Silva in the second half. But it’s football. It’s about putting the ball in the target. The team is doing the right things, trying to score and try to arrive at the opponent box. At the end, it’s about the last decision, the pass or the shoot. But I’m satisfied with the players. They have been giving a lot, so the team is fighting a lot. I’m sure we’re going to get a lot of points because I saw in the match that the players are fighting for the colours.”

Cuadrat also spoke about the young players, “They are fit and doing well. They are playing in the Calcutta League.” And the Spaniard concluded the press conference by saying, “In the game, we have tried to use the space with their pace. Aman CK, PV Vishnu, and Nandhakumar (Sekar) were attacking the spaces and creating chances with crosses. We tried to finish. Unfortunately, we were not able to score. But I think they will give a lot to the team in the minutes they are going to play.”