Bengaluru FC clinched their first victory of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 with a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. A stunning cracker of a shot from Miku towards the end of the first half proved to be the ultimate difference between the two sides, with the defending champions sure to rue the missed chances earlier in the match.

At the post-match press conference, Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat took questions from the media. The Spaniard started off by highlighting his side’s performance throughout the 90 minutes, “I think we played a very good game. We worked with a lot of intensity and we had very good counter-attacks in the centre-half with Udanta (Singh), Miku and Sunil (Chhetri). Chennaiyin created chances in the first half but all of those were because of mistakes from our end. We were very good tactically, but at the same time we made a few mistakes.”

Cuadrat also pointed out Miku’s goal as the real turning point of the match, which gave the Blues the confidence to overcome their opponents. “You know how Chennaiyin are - a very competitive side. Their confidence is also really high after last season’s victory. In this kind of a close game, normally the one who scores first make the change in the game. We were lucky to be the first team to score. But this is normal in football- anything can happen.”

The hosts used a slightly different tactic during the match, employing a more physical approach to deal with Chennaiyin’s threat upfront. Cuadrat explained further, “Chennaiyin is a very competitive team. So, you have to be at that level and you have to have that kind of intensity and strength. Otherwise, you are going to have problems. We worked hard to make the game difficult for them. “

From the opposition dugout, Chennaiyin’s head coach John Gregory was present to address the media. The Englishman gave his opinion on his side’s performance and admitted that the team needs to look at areas of improvement before the next game. “Not a lot went wrong, to be honest. I felt that we should have atleast been ahead before they scored. We had good opportunities. We started very well. It’s nerves at the start of the season. It’s all a little bit different and a little bit harder. We just need to relax, sit down and look at where we can improve on before the next game.”