East Bengal FC’s head coach Oscar Bruzon was delighted with the team’s second-half performance after a 2-0 win against Hyderabad FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata in the ongoing Indian Super League on Wednesday.
Bruzon reckons they were not able to get the momentum on their side in the first half but the players turned the tables in the second half. Manoj Mohammed scored an own goal in the 86th minute whereas Raphael Bouli scored in the injury time to give all three points to the hosts.
East Bengal FC had 46.5% possession and took two shots on target against the Nawabs.
“I was surprised with the performance of our players. It was difficult for us getting into the rhythm of the game, especially in the first half. We missed that fresh attitude probably because of the game we played four days back. But in the second half, the energy, the support of our people, that made the difference. In the second half, there was only one team on the pitch and that was East Bengal FC,” Bruzon stated in the post-match press conference.
This was East Bengal FC’s third consecutive win and they now have the highest points tally in their ISL history. However, they will need favors from other teams in order to qualify for playoffs for the first time.
“Three weeks back, everyone was saying that it was impossible and the chances were zero percent.. (but) coming from all the people along the team inside and when I say inside, it is players, management, fans, we dreamt about the (playoff) qualification. We knew we were handicapped from the beginning of the season that we were coming from very far. A couple of weeks back, we were still in 11th position but it’s true that the performances were showing good signs. If you ask me, no doubt, we want to make it but it depends on other results. We are not going to stop fighting until our last breath. At the moment, if we don’t qualify, we will accept it. But in that moment, we want the pride of fighting until our last breath,” he said.
East Bengal FC will next take on Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Sunday.
