Football
'Knew East Bengal would be nervous, took advantage of that': Manolo Marquez
Coach Manolo Marquez said FC Goa were aware of East Bengal's pressure and capitalised on the hosts' nervousness to win their first match of the season.
East Bengal sank to their third consecutive defeat in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season as they suffered a 2-3 defeat to FC Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Friday.
Despite East Bengal putting up an improved show, Borja Herrera's sensational hat-trick - the first of the season - saw FC Goa walking away with three points.
After registering their first win of the season, FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez said his team were aware of the pressure the Red and Gold brigade were in and capitalised on the hosts' nervousness.
“It was a very mental game. Both teams went into this game in a bad moment, at least in terms of the results,” Marquez said at the post-match press conference.
“We started the game well, scored two goals, we were clinical. I thought that was our chance to kill the game as East Bengal FC after two defeats were down but they came back into the game with the penalty,” he added.
East Bengal got rattled after going down 2-0 in the first half, with Borja hitting the back of the net in the 13th and 20th minute.
“We knew East Bengal FC would be nervous. They have very good players and the coach for me is a very good coach. We took advantage of this situation. The first two goals in the first half is why we won the game,” remarked Manolo.
Despite the Gaurs playing without an out-and-out striker with injuries to Armando Sadiku, Iker Guarrotxena and Alan Saji, Manolo was happy that his team emerged victorious with Borja scoring the winner in the 71st minute.
“We are unlucky that all three strikers are injured. It's a good thing that without a proper striker we scored three goals. Today, Borja was in a very good moment,” stated Manolo.
Cuadrat remains optimistic
East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat, on the other hand, pleaded for patience from the club's fans who became desperate to see the club win their first match of the season.
East Bengal levelled the score twice with Madih Talal and David Lalhlansanga scoring for the Red and Gold brigade, but they could not hold guard till the final minute and succumbed to their third straight defeat in ISL 2024-25.
“We all feel frustrated with the situation. We understand perfectly that the fans are unhappy. But we know the supporters love the players and the colours of the club and will be supporting the club as always,” said Cuadrat.
Despite his team remain winless in the ISL 2024-25 season, Cuadrat feel his team still have a lot of potential and will become a force to be reckoned with in the future.
“We have a team for the future. We have been bringing young players who have long contracts. The young players have been helping us a lot. This squad is for the future and the club have to be optimistic,” he remarked.