Recent I-League champions Gokulam Kerala pulled off a shocking 4-2 win over Indian Super League outfit ATK Mohun Bagan in their AFC Cup debut. Luka Majcen scored a brilliant brace as Jithin MS and Rishad also joined him in the goals tally. Pritam Kotal and Liston COlaco scored the consolation goals for the Mariners.
After the match, Gokulam Kerala head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese focused on how happy he was with the win as he wanted to prove that there is no difference between the two leagues in India. Annese shared how national team coach Igor Stimac never gives chances to I-League players as he was adamant to prove how Real Kashmir gave them more fight than ATK Mohun Bagan.
“We only had two days to prepare because we were busy with another competition. Tactically we were disciplined. There is no difference between the I-League and ISL. Coach (Igor) Stimac never gives chances to I-league players,” Annese told during the post-match press conference.
“I can make an analysis video and show that Real Kashmir, who were fighting for relegation in the I-League, gave us more problems than ATK Mohun Bagan. This is what I want to show to the AIFF. Everybody saw today that we performed so well. We need to recover well and think about the next game,” he continued.
Vincenzo Alberto Annese shared how all of his players were not fully match fit. He shared how Majcen was almost out for a month but when he returned he was ready to go and was the difference-maker in a game like this.
“Many players are not 100% fit. Luka came back after 24 days and played for 90 minutes for two games. Many of our players are coming back from injuries. He’s like a machine and players like him can make a difference,” the Italian tactician added.
Speaking about the turning point, Annese shared how the Malabarians found a lot of space in the second half. He highlighted how Emil Benny got a lot of space and created more chances than the Mariners as things worked in their favour. “In the second half, we created more space. We found a lot of space on the left with Emil (Benny). We don’t need to dominate possession. Everything went according to plan and we created a lot of chances and that’s what matters,” Annese shared.
