Team is starting to belief in possibility of winning the ISL shield, states Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Habas

Habas also shared his plans for the upcoming game against NorthEast United FC.

Mohun Bagan became the first side to defeat FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season with a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa on Valentine’s Day.

A cheeky late winner from Dimitri Petratos proved to be the difference between the two sides, allowing the Mariners to get right back into the race for the ISL shield title.

After the win, Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Lopez Habas shared this thoughts to the media.

Habas pleased with the win

Antonio Lopez Habas was delighted with his team’s performance and how they showed discipline in getting the win over the 12-game undefeated Goa side.

After the game, he stated: “We are very happy with the discipline of the performance. The first half was for Goa, but after that, we changed our team with substitutions and the team performed better. I think in the second half we had more chances to score because the team was spirited and worked hard for it. We had good energy, which is very important.”

Mohun Bagan find space to belief for ISL shield title

The Spaniard also believes that Mohun Bagan can now start dreaming of the ISL shield title win after defeating one of the favorites for that title in Goa, who missed out on the chance to go top of the table because of this defeat.

Habas said: “This win is very important for us, because now the team is starting to belief in the possibility of winning the ISL shield. Goa was no.1 before this match, undefeated, but that has changed now. This was very important for us.”

Plans for NorthEast United clash

The Mariners will be back at home on Saturday (February 17) when they host a spirited NorthEast United side. This will be their third match in the space of just one week and Habas has hinted that he might be forced into changing up his team because of the packed schedule.

He said: “We are thinking of changing the first XI for that game. Because we have to play three matches in one week and we will need to change for the next game. Depending on that game, we might have to make four or five changes in the next match,” he finished with.

With this win over the Gaurs, Mohun Bagan have been able to leapfrog into third place in the ISL table. They currently have five points fewer than league leaders Odisha FC, but have played two games fewer than the Juggernauts – meaning that Habas’ side is right back into the fray to compete for that ISL shield championship.

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