'We were the better team in the first half', Mumbai City FC boss Petr Kratky

Mumbai City FC defeated Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League season 10 cup final yesterday to win their second ISL Cup. The Islanders had a turbulent start to the season with the first head coach, Des Buckingham, leaving the club mid-season.

Petr Kratky took over and got the best out of the Indian players. Yesterday, Mumbai City clearly controlled the game from minute one. However, an uncalled penalty for them and a goal from Jason Cummings just before halftime almost felt like the end of the path for them.

However, the team believed in their plan and stuck to it. "We were better in the first half in terms of football, in my opinion. We got the goal. Mohun Bagan SG is a quality team. Dimitri Petratos can shoot, and Jason Cummings is always there to tap it in. We know they are a dangerous team, but our approach was totally different from what it was two weeks ago. The boys executed it, and we got rewarded,” Petr Kratky said.

He also explained that the first loss in the shield final was a learning point. "It means we are on a good pathway. Again, there were obstacles in front of us during the season when we had hard times and good times. But we were privileged to get to two finals in front of a fantastic crowd. Once we lost, we had to learn from it, and the second chance we had, we took it. Sometimes in football, you get lows and highs,” he said.

Petr Kratky concluded by underscoring the importance of belief in the team. "We just tried to stay positive and keep believing. As soon as we scored the first one, we knew that we are on a good pathway. We scored the second and the third, and we knew we were done,” he said in the post-match press conference."