Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle was delighted after a 3-0 win against East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata in the ongoing Indian Super League on Saturday.
Nishu Kumar scored an own goal to put the visitors in front in the 13th minute. Wilmar Jordan Gil was quick to double his team’s lead in the 21st minute. Daniel Chima Chikwu was able to put the game to bed as he scored in the stoppage time.
The Marina Machans had 46.4% possession and took four shots on target, out of which they converted three.
“East Bengal FC suffered because of how good we were. That’s what happens in football games… For us, from the first whistle to the last, we were the better team. High intensity, we started the game well. We scored three goals. We could have added further to that. My frustration is that we have been inconsistent as a team this season. And we showed tonight the performance we can give.. What we’ve not done well enough is win our games at home. We have won one game at home and that’s not good enough for our supporters. When you do that, as a head coach of players, you leave yourself open to criticism and that’s something we accept because people have been good and kind with their support for us,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“So I’m pleased with the result tonight. But we all know one swallow doesn’t make a summer. We have to show that consistently now and finish the season really strong. But if we perform to that level, which I hope we are capable of and get rid of the inconsistency, then of course we can go on a good run. This is always a tough venue to come. I think East Bengal FC have got some wonderful players,” he added.
Chennaiyin FC have managed only five wins in 20 games so far and the Scottish manager said they will need to win their remaining four games to qualify for the playoffs but wants his team to take one game at a time.
“To have any hope, we have to win our remaining games. But I stressed that we have to win one game at a time. It’s as simple as we could do,” he said.
He further added: “But we want it for our supporters, we have three of our last four games at home. We want to start winning those games and put a smile on their faces. They come, get behind the team – wonderful supporters. We have to put a smile on their faces and the only way to do it is by performing in the manner we did tonight. But we haven’t done that often enough, that’s the truth of the matter. Anything can happen for us to be involved (in the playoffs). But we have to win all four games and then we need to hope there are a lot of draws elsewhere.”
Chennaiyin FC will next take on Punjab FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Saturday.
