Chennaiyin FC secured a commanding 3-0 victory over East Bengal FC at at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Saturday, dealing a major blow to the home side’s playoff aspirations. East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon voiced concerns about his team’s inconsistency, lack of intensity, and first-half shortcomings after the match.

The match saw Chennaiyin FC take the lead in the 13th minute when Nishu Kumar’s attempted clearance ended up in his own net. Wilmar Jordan Gil then doubled the lead in the 21st minute. East Bengal FC struggled to create clear-cut chances despite some promising second-half moments, and Chennaiyin FC sealed the victory deep in stoppage time when Daniel Chima Chukwu found the net.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Bruzon expressed his disappointment with how the game unfolded, particularly in the first half. “The fact of the match is our reaction came late in the half-time (of the first half). The positive part of the game is the second half. I think that in the second half we created our openings,” he noted.

However, he acknowledged that Chennaiyin FC effectively shut down space after securing a 2-0 lead. “It’s true also that with 2-0, Chennaiyin FC was also holding more in their own half and closing all the spaces for us. And the bad part of the game is not acceptable, the performance that we did in the first half and in particular on the left side of the team.. with Connor (Shields) and Irfan (Yadwad) running and doing whatever they wanted,” he added.

Bruzon pointed to inconsistency as one of the main reasons for East Bengal FC’s struggles this season. East Bengal FC have five wins, three draws and 11 losses, so far this season.

He also noted that some players may not have been fully fit for the intensity of the match.

“The difficult part for us is finding the consistency. We are doing, as you see, many changes in the eleven,” he explained.

“Many players today who came from injuries, probably it was too early to field them. I felt that players like (Mohammad) Rakip and Saul (Crespo) today, still they are not ready to match the intensity, especially with a team like Chennaiyin FC. Physical. They beat us in all the duels and the second balls, all the runs. They were faster, we were slower. More aggressive, more energetic, especially in the first half we could not match the intensity of the game."

When questioned about individual mistakes, Bruzon emphasized a collective responsibility.

“I have the same answer as before. When we win, we win together. When we lose, we lose together. And all that individual actions and individual mistakes that you have mentioned, it is better to clean the dishes at home. We will address them because today we did a big number of individual mistakes.”

Despite previous strong performances in midfield against FC Goa and Mumbai City FC, Bruzon clarified that the issue in this match lay elsewhere.

“As I said, the problem is not in the central area. The problem in the first half is in the left area. So, Connor (Shields) and Irfan (Yadwad), they played the game that they wanted to play in transitions.. in duels, second balls, finding the back and combinations, winning balls and running in transitions,” he explained.

East Bengal FC now turn their attention to a crucial Kolkata Derby against Mohammedan Sporting Club next week, which Bruzon acknowledged as a pivotal fixture.

“Losing 3-0 at home with a team that is having the same points as us. But we have the derby next week and that is going to be an important one,” he concluded.