Mohun Bagan SG’s League Shield hopes were dented at an important juncture in the Indian Super League (ISL) season following their loss against Chennaiyin FC in Kolkata on Sunday.

Despite taking a first-half lead through Joni Kauko’s goal, the Mariners failed to maintain their shape in the second half, helping Chennaiyin FC stage a comeback win on their home turf.

However, Mohun Bagan SG were able to level the scoreline with Dimitri Petratos’s 94th-minute goal from the spot kick, but there was another drama to unfold as Chennaiyin FC’s 22-year-old young forward Irfan Yadwad scored his first ISL goal to snatch all three points away from the home team.

After facing a stunning defeat against Chennaiyin FC, Subhasish Bose analysed the game and also shared insights about the possibility of winning the ISL League Shield in an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com.

“It’s a disappointing result for us in our home match,” Bose said.

“We made some mistakes tonight (against Chennaiyin FC), so we couldn’t win the game. We have three more matches in our hands to fight for the ISL League Shield. We, as a team, will try to win the last three matches,” he added.

Despite facing the defeat, Bose stood behind his players but also commented that the result was thoroughly unexpected for his team. However, he remained optimistic about bouncing back as a team for the upcoming three matches.

“Each match is important for us. In football, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But we didn’t expect this result in our home match. Each player gave their 100%. We lost as a team, and we will come back as a team too,” he explained.

During the match, the Mariners heavily missed Antonio Lopez Habas on the sidelines as the head coach was too unwell to participate. However, the defender didn’t want to present this as an excuse.

“Definitely, a head coach has many roles on the sidelines. We played according to his plans. But a win or a loss is part of the game,” he stated.

“I feel sorry for our supporters, who came in large numbers to support us. Thank you for standing behind us. I hope that we will be able to bring the ISL League Shield to Kolkata by winning the remaining matches and will celebrate it with our fans,” he continued.

The veteran full-back felt Kolkata’s weather was one of the many reasons behind their defeat against Owen Coyle’s team.

Speaking in context, he said, “The weather was a bit hot and humid in Kolkata, which the players maybe didn’t adjust well to.”

“That created some goalscoring opportunities for our opponents. We were winning the match at some point, but we lacked intensity and conceded the goals. We’ll try to rectify these mistakes and bring in more intensity and positivity in the upcoming matches,” he added.

Dropping all three points against Chennaiyin FC has made the ISL League Shield winning scenario crisper and more interesting. With Mohun Bagan SG and Mumbai City FC set to play three more matches, both teams have their fates in their hands to chase their dreams.

“Both Mohun Bagan SG and Mumbai City FC have three matches to be played, and for sure, it is not going to be easy. We can’t predict anything, but we will give our best,” he opined.

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