'Fair result for both teams' - Antonio Habas after draw with Odisha FC

Mohun Bagan boss Antonio Habas also spoke about Anwar Ali and Vishal Kaith’s performance.

Mohun Bagan were able to play out an eventful 0-0 draw against Odisha FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Saturday, 24 February. The Mariners came close to scoring multiple times, but were just not clinical enough and failed to move to the top of the league table.

Habas feelings on the draw

Antonio Habas was actually satisfied with the draw, as it ensured that his side remained in the ISL Shield race. After the game, he said: “I think that this draw would be a decent score for us. We have to continue and look to win the next three points. We are a good team and had an alternative possibility to win today, but the final score ended up being a draw.”

Were Mohun Bagan too defensive?

When asked if he felt his approach was a little bit too defensive and respectful to the opponent, the Spaniard explained: “All matches are different. We played against the league leaders. We also had to rotate the team based on the physical state of the players. We played with the striker we had. Both teams had chances to win the match. This is a fair result for both teams. We also got a clean-sheet, which is important!”

Comments on Armando Sadiku and upcoming game

Antonio Habas was not that bothered with Armando Sadiku missing some big chances in the first half. He mentioned: “Maybe on another day Sadiku had one opportunity and he would’ve scored a goal. Today, he had three and couldn’t. But this is football, I have to give confidence to the players. No problem.”

Speaking about the plans for the Jamshedpur FC game, he said: “I want to recover the players and then look into the Jamshedpur game. We are targeting a win in the next game, but Jamshedpur are too! We are okay, we have to improve and determine things better during matches.

“Maybe the last 25 minutes of the first half today were not good, because we didn’t have enough possession and suffered to the opponent. Now we need to control more of the ball and determine better space on the pitch,” he added.

Praise for Anwar Ali and spirit of his squad

Habas also praised the efforts of Anwar Ali, who produced an impressive performance after his return from injury. He said: “He’s back after a long time. After the last injury, I felt he had a good performance. He had to progress and improve from the East Bengal game because he didn’t get to play that much in recent matches.”

Finally, the Spaniard praised Vishal Kaith’s heroics in goal and the general attitude of his team. He stated: “Vishal was good. The opponent had a few clean opportunities, one ended up being blocked and another attempt from Roy Krishna was saved.

“You have to be careful of Roy and Diego Mauricio because they are good goal-scorers. I am very happy with the commitment and the performance of the team. I want to win obviously, but if you can’t win – at least don’t lose. This is a good draw for us and maybe also for Odisha,” he concluded.

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