Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 23 : Odisha FC (OFC) head coach Sergio Lobera expressed his delight following his team's remarkable comeback victory over Bengaluru FC (BFC) in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Kalinga Warriors staged a solid comeback, showcasing their unwavering fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude as they did the unthinkable by stunning the Blues after coming from a two-goal deficit in a five-goal thriller. With that, Odisha FC recorded a league double over Bengaluru FC for the first time in the ISL following a 4-2 win in the reverse fixture in Bhubaneswar.
Edgar Mendez and Sunil Chhetri provided a flying start to the home crowd with a 0-2 lead within the 13th minute of the game. However, Lobera's men fought back thanks to Diego Mauricio's back-to-back goals from the spot. Jerry Mawihmingthanga scored the winner in the opening minutes of the second half, sealing three crucial points for the Kalinga Warriors.
Lobera voiced his pleasure with securing an emphatic victory at the Blues' fortress given their strong record at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
"I am very happy because I think it's so difficult to win at this stadium. It's always difficult to play here (at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium). We got a big win in a very important moment for us," he said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by ISL.
The Odisha FC head coach shared his amazement at his team's solid comeback and fighting character against a formidable team like Bengaluru FC at their home ground. However, he seemed concerned about his team conceding silly goals and urged his players to rectify their mistakes in the training sessions.
"I think we conceded two silly goals. We need to improve on this. We need to analyze this reason as professionals. We need to learn; we need to improve from today's game. But the spirit of the team and the comeback were amazing," he opined.
"During the second half, we managed to win some periods very well while having the superiority. It is three very important points for us. And I am very happy with the effort the players put in," he continued, as quoted by ISL.
Aleksandar Jovanovic was sent off in the 26th minute after conceding a direct red card for a tussle with Mauricio inside the penalty box. Odisha FC managed to take advantage of the numerical superiority to secure a come-from-behind victory at the crucial juncture of the league, considering the nail-biting playoff qualification race.
"This situation obviously helped us. The same helped Kerala Blasters FC to win against us last game, for sure. It's important when you are playing against a very strong team and they are playing for a long period with one player less. It's helpful for us," Lobera remarked.
The Spaniard also highlighted their tactical prowess and smart control of the game that helped them edge past the Blues despite being down by two goals inside the opening 15 minutes.
Speaking in the context, he said, "But sometimes it's not easy to manage this situation. Because you are thinking at this moment, you have a big advantage. Sometimes it's not like this. Because they (Bengaluru FC) have amazing players in front. They generated a lot of problems for us with (Edgar) Mendez, (Ryan) Williams, and (Sunil) Chhetri, even with ten players."
"Sometimes if you are not smartly managing one situation mentally and tactically, you cannot take advantage of this situation. And I think we did well," Lobera concluded.
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