Simon Grayson: We need to manage the game better

Simon Grayson believes the wonder goal was the turning point of the game.

Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson lamented not converting their chances into goals after his team missed all three points against Odisha FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) game at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Bengaluru FC started the match very well, getting a promising 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes. But the home side showed an instant reaction and levelled the score before ending the first half level at 2-2.

Sunil Chhetri scored the opener, while Ryan Williams doubled the score for the Blues. Puitea pulled one goal back for Odisha FC with his left-footed excellence, which found the very top of the right corner, giving no chance to 6’43’’ tall Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The Juggernauts continued to press as Isak Vanlalruatfela got the equalizer from the scramble situation inside the box in the dying minutes of the first half.

Amey Ranawade’s goal in the 60th minute separated both sides as he showed his presence of mind inside the Bengaluru FC box, beating Sandhu in a one-on-one position.

However, it was end-to-end stuff in the first 45 minutes. Commenting on their performances, Grayson said,

“I think when you look at the game, the first 30 minutes, we were really, really good; we dominated the game.”

“In possession, we looked like a major threat; we created a lot of chances, we looked like we could score goals, and we did that, and we limited Odisha FC to hardly any opportunities, and we worked out the shape was good. In possession, we were very good,” he stated in the post-match press conference.

Grayson believed one moment of magic turned the game around for the home side.

“A lot of it just changed on a wonder strike. It gives the opposition, no matter what level you’re playing on, whichever country you’re playing at, a big confidence boost,” he said. 

“From then on, they got a little bit more possession and more of a threat, but we had to manage the game better just before half-time. If we got in at 2-1, it would have given us a chance to readdress one or two situations. But yeah, the scrappy second goal really knocked us again, and we just got to manage the game better,” he further added.

Bengaluru FC will next face Hyderabad FC at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad on November 4.

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