ISL 2023-24: We deserved the victory – NorthEast United FC’s Juan Pedro Benali after win against Kerala Blasters FC

NorthEast United FC’s head coach Juan Pedro Benali said they deserved to win after their 2-0 victory against Kerala Blasters FC in the 21st match week of the ongoing Indian Super League at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on Saturday.

The first half went goalless but Nestor Albiach opened the scoring for the Highlanders, scoring in the 84th minute. Subsequently, Jithin MS scored the second goal for the home team in the injury time.

NorthEast United had 52.2% possession and took five shots on target. Benali admitted they didn’t read the game in the first half and they were sloppy but bounced back strongly in the second half.

“In the first minute, we could’ve scored. After that, we were a little bit sloppier. It was very hot. We didn’t read the game very well in the first half. But in the second half, everything totally changed,” Benali said in the post-match press conference.

“The players understood well what was going on, and we controlled the game. We had two or three chances to score in the first half, and in the second half, it was more balanced for us. But, we could have finished the game better,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Benali brought in Romain Philippoteaux in place of Hamza Regragui in the 60th minute.

Speaking about his substitution, the head coach said, “We knew that Philippoteaux couldn’t play the full game due to his style of play.”

“The match was too tight. We also needed to give Regragui the match time he needs. Many players need minutes; that’s what we are thinking in these games. We knew that Romain would be the best player to open lines against Kerala Blasters FC. And that’s what exactly happened,” explained the Spaniard.

The gaffer wants his team to take one game at a time and not think too far ahead.

“We never think about two or three games ahead. Our focus is always on giving our best in the next game. Sometimes, the opposition performs well, or we make silly mistakes due to pressure or inexperience,” he stated.

“But today, we deserved the win, and we deserve to be in the position where we are (now) because we didn’t play bad football and are supposed to be higher (in the table). But at the beginning of the season, nobody believed that we couldn’t reach the playoffs. No one believes that we’ll fight for the playoffs in our last two matches. We are there and for this, we must be proud,” Benali further added.

“I am sure that if we go to the playoffs, we’ll be a tough team to beat, but if we can’t, we will have a very experienced team next season,” he signed off.

NorthEast United FC will next take on Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.