Oscar Bruzon reveals how his half-time pep talk helped team in turning a corner against Punjab FC

East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon revealed he had to raise his voice during the half-time break to help his team turn the tables against Punjab FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata in the ongoing Indian Super League on Tuesday.

After losing their previous match against Odisha FC, East Bengal FC were under the pump after going down 0-2 in the first half against the Shers with Asmir Suljic and Ezequiel Vidal scoring for the visitors.

However, the Red and Gold Brigade made a storming comeback with Hijazi Maher scoring soon after the break. Punjab soon equalized in the 54th minute with Vishnu Puthiya Valappil finding the back of the net. Subsequently, an own goal from Suresh Nongmeikapam and a goal from David Lalhlaansanga in the 67th minute, helped East Bengal FC secure all three points.

“I felt that we were inferior to them. They were better in all the areas, in all the sectors, in all the actions, and in all the positions. So, we were looking like a rival who didn’t even want to put up a fight today,” he said during the pre-match press conference.

“The reality is that I elevated the tone in the half time because it’s a shame playing a game at home with all the supporters that they didn’t even shout at us,” he added.

“After the talk, in the second half, everything changed. So, the problem was not a tactical problem, the problem was not missing the foreigners, it was a problem of belief, courage and attitude.

The gaffer also showered praise on captain Cleiton Silva for making a key contribution to the team’s win.

“We were not having control in central areas. Another point that helped the team is that Cleiton started to play more deep to help the central midfielders. And when you have more control in the central areas, the outside players get the benefit of that,” he said.

“I think that Cleiton was one of the players also making the difference, helping the midfielders, having that control that we didn’t have in the first half. Cleiton showed that for this team he’s more important than just one striker. He is the captain and he understood that in the second half we need to bring up our game,” he added.

East Bengal FC will next face Jamshedpur FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday.