It was very important to get a win today, says Carles Cuadrat

East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat also praised players like Hijazi Maher and Souvik Chakrabarti for their contributions this season.

East Bengal picked up their first away victory of the 2023/24 Indian Super League (ISL) season with a 1-0 win over Hyderabad FC at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad on Saturday. A first-half goal from Cleiton Silva was enough to help the Red & Gold Brigade fetch the win.

Thoughts on the win

Carles Cuadrat was delighted to get the win despite scoring only one goal. He said: “Yes I’m happy with the performance. We came from injuries, suspensions and were playing with new players. We have to create opportunities to make them understand how to play, so it was very important today to grab the three points. We should’ve scored the second goal, but as we didn’t, till the last moments of the game there was a chance that they (Hyderabad) could score and get back into the game.

“May be if we scored the second goal, then we could’ve gotten a third one too. We got clear chances for that with Cleiton and Felicio, but it wasn’t happening. Maybe they were reserving the goals for the next match, so no problem. The important thing is that we created chances and it’s an important three points for us,” he added.

Pleased with clean-sheet

The Spaniard also praised his side’s ability to get another clean-sheet, stating: “I’m very happy with the clean-sheet and it was our sixth of the season. In 14 games, we’ve almost got a clean-sheet in half of those. It’s very important to get clean-sheets. We have a goal difference of +2, so I think our numbers are normal to continue towards the playoffs. We have to now focus on the next match. Jamshedpur will get more rest than us – but this is a challenge we have (a lot of games with little rest).”

Praise for players

Finally, Carles Cuadrat showered praise for the likes of Hijazi Maher and Souvik Chakrabarti for their impressive displays. He said: “Hijazi is doing a great job but as are the rest of the boys. We are in a situation during the season when we are losing players (injuries/suspensions). The gameplan worked for us and finally, we got three points that mean a lot to us. We have played the minimum games, but we are reaching the positions where we can fight for the playoffs.

“Souvik has given a lot to the team. I’m very happy with him. I’ve followed him for a long time, when he was in Mumbai and in Hyderabad. I’ve always wanted a player like him in my team. He’s having a fantastic season. I’m very happy that players like Souvik or Rakip, who didn’t play that much towards the end of last season, are showing everyone that they are ready for the competition,” he concluded.

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