Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 30 : East Bengal FC (EBFC) head coach Oscar Bruzon showered praise on his team after they registered their first victory of the Indian Super League (ISL) season on Friday. A crucial strike by Dimitrios Diamantakos secured a hard-fought win for the Kolkata outfit against NorthEast United FC (NEUFC).
In a contest marked by grit and intensity, both teams were reduced to 10 men by the end. However, East Bengal FC displayed exceptional resilience, frustrating their opponents and earning their first three points of the campaign in front of their passionate home crowd.
The match also marked the first time NorthEast United FC failed to find the net this season. Despite attempting 13 shots, only one was on target. Their closest opportunity came in the first half when Alaaeddine Ajaraie's powerful header struck the crossbar. However, the visitors struggled to penetrate East Bengal's disciplined defense, rarely testing goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill.
"I just need to praise the players because they are understanding the idea very well. They are being compact and adjusting well to all moments of the game. If you see a team like NorthEast United FC that create a big number of chances and score a big number of goals, today they were totally neutralised. Apart from this crossbar attempt (from Ajaraie) and they had a shot from outside the first half, I don't remember any open chances from them," Bruzon stated during the post-match press conference, as quoted by a release from ISL.
This victory also marked East Bengal FC's second consecutive clean sheet which helped them secure their first point of the season. They had previously managed a goalless draw against Mohammedan Sporting Club, despite playing with only nine men for a significant portion of the match. Bruzon commended his team's defensive tenacity, emphasising the importance of shutting out opponents, but reminded that it's only the only important thing.
"It's important to keep clean sheets. But yesterday, we were talking about it being an open game and if the rival scores a goal, you just need to score two. It's very important (keeping clean sheets) but it's not the most important in football. The most important is creating more chances and capitalising on them," he explained.
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