Guwahati, January 12: Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina expressed satisfaction with his team's performance despite a lackluster 1-0 win in the Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday. He noted that the victory brought the team one step closer to their goal of securing the ISL Shield.
Mohun Bagan SG completed a double over rivals East Bengal FC, with Jamie Maclaren's early goal securing the win. The victory extended their lead at the top of the standings to eight points, further distancing second-placed Bengaluru FC, who lost to Mohammedan Sporting Club earlier in the day.
Although the Mariners emerged victorious, they missed several chances to increase their lead, with East Bengal FC goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill making some crucial saves. Molina acknowledged that while the result could have been better in terms of goal-scoring, securing the three points was the priority.
"Yes (it is a fair result). We missed our chances but to get better results you have to score goals. We were not good enough to score more goals. We had the chances but finally, you have to put the ball inside, right, touching the net. We did it. We are happy because we got three points. Three important points. We won over our rivals, we won the derby. We would have been maybe happier if we scored more goals because we had the chances. In the end, not our day but the important thing is the three points. Three more points on the table. Closer to the main goal, that is to win the Shield," he said in the post-match press conference.
East Bengal FC were reduced to ten men early in the second half after Souvik Chakrabarti received a red card. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Red and Gold Brigade defended valiantly and put pressure on Mohun Bagan SG in the final stages of the game.
Reacting to the situation, Molina said: "We started to play worse when East Bengal FC received a red card. With one more player, our level decreased and we did not play clearly. Even despite that, we had some counterattacks, some good actions where we could score more goals but no good decision in the final third.. In the last minutes, we suffered a little bit because they moved the ball, put the ball (in the box), put crosses and they sent balls to the box. But (our) two centre-backs, the full-backs, the goalkeeper were great. To be honest, they didn't have a great opportunity to score a goal and draw the match. We controlled it. I am happy with the team's performance. Maybe not so happy with the last minutes. But I think we did a great job to win another derby. Three more points and opening up (the gap) with the rest of the teams."
The Kolkata Derby, held at Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, saw only a handful of Kolkata-based fans in attendance, in stark contrast to the first derby in Kolkata, which had nearly 60,000 fans filling the stadium. Despite the difference in crowd size and atmosphere, Molina acknowledged the significance of the result for the fans back in Kolkata.
"We missed our fans in the stands. The atmosphere in the first derby in Kolkata was amazing. It was great. The impact of that atmosphere on the players was huge. It's not the same to play in an empty stadium with little support. My players, of course, and East Bengal FC players too, tried to win, and I told the players before the match: 'Not too many supporters in the stands, but a lot of people in Kolkata are pushing us up and supporting us. We have to win for them.' And finally, we did our job."
"I can tell our fans, we missed them. We would have liked to play in front of them. We fought for them, and I hope they can enjoy the victory. I'm waiting for them for the next match," Molina added.
