NorthEast United FC went down 1 – 0 to Jamshedpur FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Saturday. The Highlanders dominated proceedings throughout the match and had plenty of chances but were undone by a moment of individual brilliance from their ex-player Wellington Priori early in the second half. The loss leaves the scope of making the playoffs unrealistic for NorthEast and speaking to the media during the post-match press conference was their head coach Avram Grant.

The Israeli was understandably bitter at the loss, pointing out that while his team was good in all aspects and still ended on the losing side, Jamshedpur hardly created any chances. “It was a strange game,” Grant remarked. “I cannot even say what went wrong because we played well in all the aspects of football. We defended well, and the opponents did not even have one chance apart from the goal. That was a fantastic goal. We created chances. Our goalkeeper was good today. So, from all aspects of football we were the better side. It was a very frustrating game because we played very well but lost the game.”

While he was appreciative of Jamshedpur’s defence, Grant also mentioned that they had just two chances in the entire game. “They (Jamshedpur) have a very good defence and are a very organized team,” stated the Israeli. “That is no secret. But we were the ones who created a lot of chances. Their goalkeeper made some good saves. And apart from the goal, they did not create any good chance till the last minute of the game when we were attacking, and they broke away. We ourselves broke away three or four times, but we could not score.”

The 63-year-old further stated at the end of the day, only goals count and that he was happy with the performance but disappointed with the result. “I am happy with the performance,” Grant said. “But there is also frustration. If the team is not playing well, then I cannot say anything. But, this team has progressed, they are playing good football. But, at the end of the day, we are not winning. It’s frustrating because things are going well, but football is about who puts the ball into the net. That is what counts.”