100% we deserved to win, asserts East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat after draw in Kolkata Derby

Cuadrat also shared why he substituted Sayan Banerjee.

East Bengal FC settled for a draw in the match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant with 2-2 goals in the ISL 2023-24 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

The match commenced with an early goal by Ajay Chhetri in the 3rd minute for East Bengal. Mohun Bagan responded in the 17th minute with a goal by Armando Sadiku. The second goal for East Bengal was achieved by Cleiton Silva in the 55th minute, while Dimitri Petratos secured the second equalizer in the 87th minute, resulting in the match ending in a draw.

The post match press conference for East Bengal FC was attended by head coach Carles Cuadrat. 

Thoughts about the game

Coach Carles expressed great confidence in winning the game but acknowledged that this did not materialize due to missed opportunities.

“We had some clear chances to win the game. We missed one very clear chance for Edwin which went wide of the goalkeeper and then we missed two-three, with one very clear chance for Nandhakumar. And hundred percent we deserved to win.”

A high intensity start to the match

From the very beginning of the match East Bengal looked to take charge on the field. When a question was raised about the team’s attacking mindset, Carles replied, “We were very clear that we were going for the three points. From the starting of the game, we dominated and created numerous chances. The tactics worked very well and the match plan should’ve given us three points.”

Mahesh’s injury

Mahesh Singh Naorem suffered an injury in the middle of the match. He was replaced by Edwin Vanspaul in the 70th minute of play.

“I didn’t see him. I think he was taken to the hospital. He was not in the locker room after full-time”, the Spaniard stated regarding the injury concern of Mahesh.

Substitution of Sayan Banerjee

Sayan substituted Saul Crespo in the 18th minute of the game and was subsequently replaced by Vishnu Puthiya in the 63rd minute. This sequence of events has led to questions regarding Sayan’s performance and his impact on the team.

“He was doing great, wonderful. But because I wanted fresh legs, I had to put in Vishnu and had another tactical message for him to go inside the pitch with a clear idea in the change of system to a 5-4-1, Carles added.

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