East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon showered praise on his players’ gritty effort despite a 0-1 loss against derby rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati in the ongoing Indian Super League on Saturday.

Jamie Maclaren scored the only goal of the match in the second minute of the game to help his team bag all three points.

Meanwhile, East Bengal FC had 46.5% possession but failed to take a single shot on target. The Red and Gold Brigade was also reduced to 10-man after Souvik Chakrabarti received a red card in the 64th-minute for a bad foul. However, East Bengal FC were able to keep their rivals at bay and didn’t concede any more goals.

“I think that the game plan worked perfectly, except for the last part of the game when the game was open; we blocked them in all the areas. I think that we stopped all the gaps, especially on the wings, making it a difficult game for both Manvir (Singh) and for Liston (Colaco), who are the players that like to have space,” Bruzon said in the post-match press conference.

“In the center of the pitch with the three center-backs and the three midfielders, they (MBSG) were not dominating the game. They were not creating big chances, let’s say. So I repeat, I think this is the way to keep moving forward. I understand that the result is not the result that we desire or that we wanted before the game, but the reality is that I have to praise my players because they made a huge effort, and even with 10 men, we were having our chances, especially in set pieces in the last part of the game,” he continued.

Bruzon admitted that individual mistakes led to the opening goal but backed his players to come good in the upcoming matches.

“I have to be on the side of my players always, in the good times and in the bad times,” he shared.

“I said it in the last game, and I have to say it again. Unfortunately, I need to repeat. When we win, we win together. When we lose, we lose together. However, individual mistakes are something that is out of scope. It’s been crazy. It can happen one day, but when it starts to happen, game after game, it’s a worry for me. It’s really a worry, because we are not finding the solution, and we are repeating the same mistake,” Bruzon analyzed.

East Bengal FC will next take on FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa on Sunday.