ISL 2020-21 | Players were not complacent and played for a win, asserts Carles Cuadrat

11/23/2020

Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat stated that he was happy that his team fought for a win, even though they struggled in the final third to create opportunities to convert. The side was leading 2-0 in the second half, but a brace from Igor Angulo meant they had to settle for a point.

Bengaluru FC had a decent outing in the Indian Super League last season, with them finishing at the third position in the league table, but crashed out in the double-legged semi-finals against ATK. With a new season on the cards, the former champions were pitted against a revamped FC Goa in the opening game. The side got off to a good start and was leading by 2-0 in the second half, even though they conceded a couple and had to settle for a point at the end. But, the Bengaluru FC coach is pleased with the fact that his team played fought for a win.

"Of course not complacent, my players fought for every point and that is what they were wishing for from the first minute. You know the thing is that it has been a short pre-season for all of us and they have been giving their best. They have quality players and this kind of thing happens," said Carles Cudrat, after the match.

The match was supposed to be a cracker and it lived up to its hype, with a great display of football from both the side, especially in the second half, which set the tone for the rest of the season. The game swayed in favour of FC Goa in the second period with the introduction of Brandon Fernandes. Carles was not surprised with the changes they brought in but felt that his players lacked the punch in the final third to convert, in spite of a flurry of counter-attacks.

"No, I am not surprised, I was sure that they were studying our system and we tried to change little things to try to surprise them and I think it was working. I think we created a lot of counter-attacks but we were missing in the last phase to really create the chance for a goal. I'm quite happy with the match plan, I think it was working for us," added the coach.

Bengaluru FC will face the revamped Hyderabad FC this Saturday, as they aim to win their first game of the new season.