Panaji (Goa) [India], January 23 (ANI): Mumbai City FC overcame a tough challenge from SC East Bengal to get over the line, but head coach Sergio Lobera feels his side was lucky to walk away with the 1-0 win despite a poor performance in the second half.
Mumbai spurned a number of chances in the first 45 minutes but managed to take the lead through Mourtada Fall (27′).
With East Bengal dominating the second half on Friday, Lobera feels Mumbai City may have been a bit lucky to have got all the three points which extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in the ongoing seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL).
“I think when you see the stats, you see that we lose in possession for the ball. It’s difficult for us when we play in such a way. We needed to improve, especially in the second half,” Lobera said during the post-match press conference.
“We were lucky with the result in the second half because they played very well. We played against a team that was unbeaten in seven games and maybe in the first half we had the chance to score a second goal,” he further said.
After the first goal, the Islanders found it difficult to impose their brand of football on the game and Lobera credited SC East Bengal for reining them in.
“Sometimes it’s not possible to play the way you want to play. The opponent team is also playing and forces you to play another way. During the second half we suffered a lot… we lost possession of the ball [a lot] and obviously we practically played in our own half. This is not the best way for us, we want to win more games to improve the situation,” said Lobera.
The Spanish coach feels the East Bengal that they faced was a very different team from the one his side had faced earlier this season.
“They have improved a lot and have new players. They are a very competitive team. Their results speak for themselves. They were unbeaten for seven games and they played very well and it’s not possible to compare this team with the one [we played against] in the first part of the season,” Lobera said.
Mumbai City FC will next lock horns with Chennaiyin FC on Monday. (ANI)