ISL 2018 | Happy that we are undefeated and still at the top, asserts Carles Cuadrat

12/10/2018

Bengaluru FC head coach Carles Cuadrat has stated that he was happy that his side remained unbeaten in the tournament and are still the toppers in the points table with 24 points. The Bengaluru based club is yet to be defeated in the tournament after playing ten league matches.

Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC played out a hard fought 1-1 draw in a thrilling match in Bengaluru yesterday. Despite being a man down for most parts of the second-half, Mumbai put a defiant show and did not let Bengaluru take advantage of the situation. Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat expressed satisfaction at the overall result but also suggested that it was not easy to score against a ten man defence of the Mumbai side.

"We tried our best. Sometimes it happens in football. When the other team has 10 players, for them, it is easier to defend. They have very very fast players. They decide to play on the counter attack exclusively. So, to play against 10 became very difficult. We tried different things. But we are happy because we are unbeaten, and we are still top of the table," the Bengaluru head coach said.

A lone goal for Bengaluru FC was scored by Udanta Singh in the 23rd minute of the game. The header by Udanta gave the club from Bengaluru the much needed lead but it did not last long and soon the Mumbai City FC player Modou Sougou equalised for his team in the 31st minute. Thereafter a long battle ensued but no team could find the lead to take the three points and hence both the teams settled for point apiece.

"I think the other team worked very hard to get the point and we have to congratulate them. They were working very hard in defence and they were dangerous on the counter attack. I think it was a nice and exciting game to watch with a lot of things happening," he added.

For the Mumbai City FC coach Jorge Costa felt that the team deserved more points from the game. But he also seemed to understand the drawbacks of being one man down hence termed the one point Mumbai got as “very important.”

"We did not play well in the first 20 minutes. We did not have the ball. But we started playing well after they scored. We had two more chances after scoring. At half-time, I told the players that we should go back home with three points. Unfortunately, we had to play with 10. Of course, playing with 10 is different than playing with 11. But we had some opportunities. I am very happy with the work put in by the players. To be honest, it is a very important point but we deserved more," he opined.

After this match the Mumbai City FC now have 21 points from 11 games that puts them at the second spot just behind the table toppers who are the numero uno side with 24 points from ten games.

"There are things which we must remember. As you know, we were the last to start training. New coach, new players and we needed time to work. For sure, at this moment, Mumbai are a much better team than at the start of the season. Sometimes we don’t do so well, but we fight. We must keep working every day."

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