Proud of our players, asserts Mario Rivera after derby defeat

The Mariners completed the double over their arch-rivals with tonight’s win.

The Indian Super League 2021-22 campaign’s second Kolkata Derby was a game of two halves. It was uncharacteristic to see an ATK Mohun Bagan side not create many chances. Mario Rivera and his men were quite dominant in the first half and had better opportunities to go ahead.

It was Darren Sidoel’s 56th minute flick from an Antonio Perosevic corner that gave the Red and Gold the lead. After Kiyan Nassiri came on for Juan Ferrando’s team, he quickly brought his side back into the game with a brilliant effort in the 64th minute. From that moment, ATKMB looked their best once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsdAnhso1hg

The match was sealed during the additional time, as it was the 21-year-old who netted two more goals to complete his hat-trick. SC East Bengal’s defence, which looked the part for most of the game, was hapless in the closing stages.

Here is what SCEB’s head coach Mario Rivera had to say:

Thoughts on defeat

Mario Rivera had reiterated in the pre-match press conference how the league position doesn’t matter when it comes to the derby. It is a must-win match. Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t in their favour. “It is always disappointing losing a derby, but we have to be proud of our players. They fought a lot and we could have won the match,” said Rivera.

ATKMB’s quick attack

Juan Ferrando’s team put on their scoring boots quiet late into the game, with the arrival of youngster Kiyan Nassiri on the pitch. After the Mariners equalized, the pressure was once again on SC East Bengal.

“We wanted to defend, but they scored very quickly and we didn’t have time to adjust. If we got some time after we scored, then the match would have been different,” Mario Rivera reflected.

On the late drama

From Lalrinliana Hnamte’s shot to Hira Mondal’s goal-line clearance, there were a lot of dramatic moments in the second half. “The match in the second half was open and we had chances to lead again.

"When the game is open and you want to win, sometimes you concede and we couldn’t stop the situation from happening,” Mario Rivera commented.

Positives from the match

Despite what the scoreline suggests, SCEB did put up a good display. “The attitude and fight shown by our players and that they stuck to the plan we had. Despite suffering an injury in the first half, we have to be proud of our result and be ready to go again in the next match,” Rivera signed off.

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