Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina praised the reaction of the team against Bengaluru FC in the semifinal clash of the Durand Cup at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Tuesday. The Mariners were down by two goals after 50 minutes but bounced back in style.
Sunil Chhetri converted from the spot to give the Blues an early lead in the first half and young Vinith Venkatesh doubled the visitors’ lead. However, Dimitrios Petratos and Anirudh Thapa scored for the home team to achieve parity.
The hosts then won 4-3 on penalties with goalkeeper Vishal Kaith making two saves.
“Really happy because it was not an easy match today (Tuesday),” Molina said after the match.
“Bengaluru FC proved that they are a very good team and played very good football. They sent us under pressure, but the reaction of the team was amazing. My players worked really hard and fought till the end,” he added.
The Spaniard feels they could have won the game in 90 minutes as they had a plethora of chances.
“In my opinion, we could have won the match in the 90 minutes, but it did not happen. We had to go to the penalty kicks. Finally, we are in the final. I’m very happy and looking forward to playing the next game and trying to win my first trophy with Mohun Bagan SG,” he commented.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on NorthEast United FC in the final on Saturday and Molina reckons they need to be at their best to get the desired result.
“It’s never easy to win a match. I have experience in ISL, and it’s never easy to win a match against any opponent. In the final against NorthEast United FC, we need to fight throughout the 90 minutes and give our 100% to win the match,” Molina remarked.
