ISL 2024-25: Mohun Bagan Super Giant coach criticizes defensive lapses in 2-2 draw against Mumbai City FC

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 14 (ANI): Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) head coach, Jose Francisco Molina expressed his frustration over his team’s defensive lapses as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Mumbai City FC (MCFC) in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season opener in Kolkata on Friday.

Leading 2-0 at halftime, courtesy of a Tiri own goal and a strike from Alberto Rodriguez, Mohun Bagan SG allowed Mumbai City FC to mount a second-half comeback.

Goals from Tiri and Thaer Krouma enabled the visitors to level the score and secure a point.

Mumbai City FC not only dominated possession but also registered more shots on target, presenting significant challenges for the hosts.

While the coach was disappointed with his team’s defensive mistakes, he acknowledged their overall defensive effort.

“We made mistakes in some specific actions but the game was under control,” Molina said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by ISL.

“Mumbai City FC had more possession than us. Then they didn’t cause us many problems, and we had to defend more than we wanted. But we were defending well. We did not concede too many chances for them to score. But in two actions, they took advantage of our mistakes, and that’s the problem,” he said.

The Mariners must quickly address their tendency to concede goals while in the lead, a pattern evident in recent matches.

They experienced a similar scenario in the Durand Cup final, where NorthEast United FC came back from a two-goal deficit to win on penalties.

“We couldn’t finish the match the way we wanted,” Molina said, as quoted by ISL.

“To be honest, we’re not at the same level as Mumbai City FC. They had a better pre-season because they did not play in the Durand Cup. They had the same coach from last year, which is an advantage for them. I’m a new coach, and for a team to adapt to any new coach, there is a process, and mistakes are made. We made some mistakes in that moment of the match. But the truth is, we don’t have much time to make mistakes. We have to play better and defend better to win matches. Of course, at this moment I’m upset. I’m working every day with my players to avoid conceding goals. We have to focus on that, keep working, stay positive, and hopefully, in the next matches, we will play better,” he concluded.