NorthEast United FC’s head coach Juan Pedro Benali was delighted after their 3-2 win against Odisha FC in the Indian Super League at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on Sunday. 

Moroccan footballer Alaeddine Ajaraie scored twice in the first half to put his team in front and continue his rich form. However, Hugo Boumous got one back for the visitors at the one-hour mark. 

But soon Guillermo Fernandez strengthened the Highlanders’ lead as he scored in the 71st minute. Diego Mauricio scored in the 83rd minute for Odisha FC but it wasn’t enough in the end.

Meanwhile, Odisha FC dominated the possession with 63.7% and also took seven shots on target but it was NorthEast United who bagged the crucial three points.

“It was a very nice game. Good to watch. It was nice for the fans. We played against a very good team that played good football, so these were nice three points,” Benali said during the post-match press conference.

“I am very satisfied with the result but you always feel that we need to improve in some moments. In the end, I felt we could have scored a few more goals, they could have got the draw as well. We were lucky this time but we got the three points,” he added.

Benali wants his team to take more control of the game when they are in front. The Spaniard feels they were a bit defensive despite a two-goal lead, which they had for the major part of the match.

“The problem in the second half was that when they received the ball we were just dropping back. We didn’t want that. We needed to push out as the moment we pressed them we were able to reach their goal easily. The moment we left the space in the middle, we suffered, especially after that first goal,” he said.

“These are young players who are eager to win. It’s important to be calm but it’s easier said than done. You need to be very strong in your head and it’s not easy,” he added.

NorthEast United will next take on Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday.