Panaji: After suffering a 0-2 defeat at the hands of ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League (ISL), Bengaluru FC’s coach Naushad Moosa said that his side lost motivation after conceding a penalty in the match.
ATK Mohun Bagan sent out a statement of intent across the ISL, going a point within current league leaders Mumbai City FC with a solid 2-0 victory over a hapless Bengaluru FC here on Tuesday.
In a first for Bagan this season, two first-half goals signalled the downfall for a beleaguered Bengaluru FC who were punished for their defensive mistakes, gifting two mouth-watering setpieces for the Kolkata side to convert with glee. Roy Krishna (37′) beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from the spot before Marcelinho (44′) put the game to rest with a freekick of the highest order.
“The way we started the game, we were really doing well till the water break. Then that penalty happened and the players lost the motivation and then you can see the frustrations, giving unnecessary fouls. We could have controlled that,” said Moosa during the post-match press conference.
“It is always difficult when you are playing against a team like ATK Mohun Bagan who are so strong in defence and they have quality players. When you are two goals down and you have to score another two goals it is difficult. The way we started, it was really nice. The idea was to stay calm and keep the ball and we were doing that. In the second half, we did try but things did not work out in our favour,” he added.
Moosa also said that he has not given up yet on making the playoffs this season and he added that his side needs to remain positive throughout.
“It (play-offs) all depends on the other games. The only thing is we have to be positive and play good football in the rest of the games,” said Moosa.
Bengaluru FC is currently placed at the sixth position in the ISL standings with 19 points from 17 games. The side will next take on Mumbai City FC on Monday.