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

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 15 (ANI): East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat commended his players’ fighting attitude despite suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat against Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Vinith Venkatesh scored the solitary goal for the Blues with his right-footed, precise shot in the 25th minute, which was the ultimate decider between both sides.

With the Red and Gold Brigade losing to the Blues, East Bengal FC have failed to register a win in their opening fixture in the ISL for the fifth time in a row (D2, L3).

Carles Cuadrat’s men enjoyed more ball possession (55%), attempted more shots (10), but could not find the back of the net. With the likes of Dimitrios Diamantakos, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Nandhakumar Sekar upfront, the Red and Gold Brigade pushed hard to score the equaliser, but their efforts were either denied by Bengaluru FC goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu or missed the target. East Bengal FC received a setback in the game when Lalchungnunga was sent off late into the game, dashing their hopes of making a comeback.

Cuadrat shared his satisfaction with his players continuing to create chances in search of the equaliser until the very last minute.

“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,” the head coach said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by ISL.

The Kolkata-based team carved out some clear-cut chances in the second half through Souvik Chakraborty and Cleiton Silva but failed to capitalise on their opportunities.

Sharing the significance of finding the back of the net, Cuadrat remarked, “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 Spaniard is hopeful of bagging record numbers of points this season with the formidable squad they have. However, Cuadrat seemed happy with his players’ approach during the match.

“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,” he stated.

“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,” he continued.

Cuadrat has brought in young players like PV Vishnu and Aman CK in the second half in place of Mahesh and Mohamad Rakip. The head coach shed light on the significance of giving more game time to the young Indian footballers, helping them to gain experience.

While speaking about the youngsters in his squad and their performances, Cuadrat said, “They are fit and doing well. They are playing in the Calcutta League.”

“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,” he signed off.