Bengaluru FC earned a well-fought victory over NorthEast United FC in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. It took a Sunil Chhetri penalty in the 68^th minute for Bengaluru to end their opponent’s defensive resilience while Albert Serran scored from a close-range header in the final 10 minutes of the match to make it two.

Speaking to the media at the post-match press event, head coach Carles Cuadrat gave his views on Bengaluru’s win, “This match and this result was very important for us because when you come from losing a game, the first thing you want to do is play again and win. We got a clean sheet and we are very happy with the final result.”

“I think the Hero ISL is very tough. I think this season is a very special one because any team can win any game. I think it will be a really tough fight to reach the top four and get to the playoffs,” he added.

NorthEast were without star striker Asamoah Gyan, who was rested due to an injury. Without him, the hosts seemed less clinical in front of the goal and when asked if his absence affected the scoreline, the Spaniard replied, “Of course the absence of Gyan makes a difference. He is a killer and he shows that in every game. He can create a goal from nothing. But injuries can happen to any team. I think NorthEast are a very smart team. They were trying to break our defensive line. But when you score the first goal of the game, then it’s better to manage.”

He further continued, “Till it was 0-0, it was hard to manage the game. NorthEast played very well so it was a very difficult victory for us. I am very happy that (Federico) Gallego is back for NorthEast again. He injured himself playing against us (last season) and I am happy that he played against us.”

Read the Match Report here.