This is a team effort, says Stephen Constantine after BFC triumph

Published at :November 12, 2022 at 5:27 AM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

(Courtesy : ISL Media)

East Bengal find themselves elevated to the eighth position after the win.

It was a night to remember for the Red & Gold fans who flocked to the Sri Kanteerava Stadium as they witnessed their team register a memorable win at Bengaluru. Former Bengaluru FC striker Cleition Silva scored the only goal of the game from a good assist from Naorem Mahesh Singh. Stephen Constantine's army looked in sync after weeks of criticism from the media. Three points from the game took East Bengal to the eighth place on the points table, one point shy from the top six, with six points.

After the game, East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine attended the press conference to talk about the game. Excerpts from the conference are as follows.

Constantine's reaction to the game

Stephen Constantine looked happy after today's win. It was evident from his reaction to the game. He said, "I am quite happy. I don't get too depressed when we lose or too excited when we win. I thought we deserved the win. I thought we were the better side. As I have been saying for the last five weeks, we are a new team, we are building.

"This is just another step towards the right direction. We are not the finished article. Every week, we will get better. You could see today, the boys were superb. So, congratulations to my players and to our fans who came here to support us. Without them, we are nothing," he added.

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On the team's performance

Constantine heaped praise on his playing XI as well as his support staff for today's win. He said, "Ivan Gonzalez was very good at the back. Everyone wanted to keep the clean sheet. The whole team was great. We are delighted to win, but maybe we are more delighted that we kept the clean sheet, which is our first one this season.

He continued, "Credit to the boys, they worked very very hard. Also the staff, the physios, the doctors, the nurses, (all played their part well). This is a team effort."

On his team's playing approach

Stephen Constantine refuted any claim stating that East Bengal is a counter-attacking team. Instead, the tactician asserted that in most games, East Bengal has been able to create a lot of chances. He said, "I know few people say that we are a counter-attacking team. I thought we had more chances than they had on both halves. They did not have an answer for us. We are a work in progress and we will continue to work hard and get better.

He added, "I don't think we are just a counter-attacking team. We have shown that today, against ATK Mohun Bagan, in the second half against Goa, and against NorthEast (United). We have not been destroyed by anybody. I would say, in most of the games, we beat ourselves. Our mistakes have cost us matches."

On the importance of today's win

Constantine said that today's win was very important for the team. He said, "They are all tough games, to be honest, for us, anyway. I don't think anybody in India expected us to come here and beat Bengaluru at home. They have had the last three games away, which had been difficult for them. I think they are a good side. For us, this win was massive. We have three points."