Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis acknowledged his dissatisfaction with their 1-3 defeat against Oscar Bruzon's East Bengal FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday.

This lack of control hindered the team's ability to create scoring opportunities and contributed to a frustrating performance. Despite their efforts to score, missed chances prevented them from establishing an early lead, which could have shifted the game's momentum.

Match Report: Punjab FC 1-3 East Bengal FC

Dilmperis spoke about two distinct halves, highlighting significant issues in the first half, particularly with ball retention among players. However, shifting to a 3-5-2 formation in the second half improved the team's tempo and aggressiveness, leading to more frequent attacks on the opponent's goal.

"Today we have two different parts in the game. In the first half, we had a huge problem. We lost balls in the final third easily. So we didn't create chances because we didn't hold the ball forward. That was a huge problem. When we played a 3-5-2, the team found a different tempo in the game, more aggressive, with more speed, and a more vertical game, and we transferred the ball into the box a lot of times. But even then, we lost chances. We should have scored earlier," he said in the post-match press conference.

The coach emphasized the importance of psychological factors, particularly lack of confidence and fear, and how they can negatively impact player performance.

"If we had scored a second goal earlier, I think they would have been really stressed, and we would have managed to score a third goal and at least tie this game. The problem, in my opinion, is psychological confidence. There's fear a lot of times. When the opponent manages to score this way again—we discussed it yesterday—we were talking about all these things. If you go this way, then you're scared. Fear is not a good advisor in a game. It brings panic, and a lot of times it leads to wrong actions. This is what happened," he stated.

When asked about Luka Majcen sitting out the first half, the coach confirmed that his effectiveness is maximized when he enters the game later, allowing him to capitalize on tired opponents.

The head coach said, "I have to make it clear: Luka is a symbol of the game, of this team. Luka is a good scorer, of course, and he's a leader in the game, but at the same time, we want to go a little bit higher, press more, both left and right—things that Petros does better."

"I had a lot of conversations with Luka. I don't doubt about his quality. But I do believe that he is more useful for our team when he is coming in later when he is fresh and he can help us in the box," he added.

He continued, "I know everybody is asking why and I still insist there's no problem for me. I like him, I love him, I know who is he but I do believe that he's more useful this way."

The coach expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's performance, particularly in the first half. He highlighted the issues the team faced during the match.

"Of course, the results are not the ones that we want, but in my opinion, everybody can easily see that there is a logical reason why I try to use my players in the best way for the team," he said.

"In the first part, there were five attacking players, but they couldn't even receive the ball today. They lost possession; they were receiving the ball, and they couldn't make a good offensive pass. We didn't create chances—maybe one or two in the first half. So it's not only about this game," he concluded.

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