ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando admitted that his team looked scared after the hour mark following their 2-1 loss against Bengaluru FC at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday.
The first half ended goalless but Javi Hernandez was able to break the deadlock in the second half as he scored in the 78th minute. Roy Krishna then doubled the visitors’ lead in the 90th minute. However, Dimitri Petratos scored in the stoppage time but it was not enough for the Mariners.
The home team took a total of four shots on target but could only convert a single shot. Ferrando was not happy with the performance of his team and feels the players were not confident when they had their chances.
“When we had opportunities, we were simply not confident enough,” Ferrando said in the post-match press conference.
“The team knows the plan but they gave away possessions cheaply. I was really surprised to see the team scared after 62-63 minutes and I don’t know why!” he added.
The hosts were without the services of Hugo Boumous and Ashique Kuruniyan whereas the likes of Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, and Federico Gallego could not deliver for the team.
“The team was moving out of the game slowly. So, it’s not about just one or two players. I am disappointed with the performance of the whole team,” Ferrando stated.
The Spaniard admitted that the second goal they conceded was their mistake and they should have shared the spoils if Roy Krishna hadn’t scored.
“The goal he (Roy Krishna) scored was our mistake. It was totally unnecessary to concede that goal. The team needs to improve from the youth level. In India, you need to work as a team and try to improve as a team,” said the head coach.
Ferrando also hailed Bengaluru FC, who recorded their fifth consecutive victory in the tournament.
“Bengaluru FC are following the same plan since the Durand Cup. They are working on the same model and maybe that’s the reason they’re progressing,” he said.
ATK Mohun Bagan will next face Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on Thursday.
