Shillong, Nov 1: East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez was happy enough even if his team didn’t have much of the ball against Shillong Lajong because his charges were still able to control the way the game went.
“Lajong controlled the ball, but we controlled the match,” Menendez said, through an interpreter, in the post-match press conference after his side won 3-1 at the JN Stadium today. “It was a difficult match because we didn’t adapt very well to the [artificial turf]. Congratulations to my team. They played well in defence and that was the key thing for us today.”
Jobby Justin, who was named man-of-the-match after scoring a brace in the first half, was also at the press conference.
“We’re always happy to get three points in an away match. We played as a team today,” Justin said. He also paid tribute to the many travelling East Bengal fans, who made their presence felt on Lajong turf.
Meanwhile, SLFC coach Alison Kharsyntiew found some positives to take away from the defeat.
“I’m disappointed with the result, but not with the performance. The boys played well in terms of ball possession and control, but we have to work on finishing,” Kharsyntiew said. “The boys lack experience but they get more and more experience every game. I believe in my players and it’s not a problem if they make mistakes, but they have to learn from them and not repeat them in the next match.”
(TSR photo. East Bengal’s Jobby Justin is on the left, coach Alejandro Menendez right)
