Bengaluru FC at last won their first game since mid-December as they beat SC East Bengal 2-0 in Match 80 of the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Tuesday night. A Cleiton Silva strike and an own goal by Debjit Majumder just before the half-time break ended the Blues’ eight-match unbeaten run, and interim head coach Naushad Moosa was understandably relieved at the post-match press conference.

“I am very happy for the players and the way that they gave their best. They were fighting till the last whistle. It was very nice to see that aggression,” said Moosa.

Talking about his match plan, Moosa said: “Our plan was to stay more compact and go on the counter attack in the first half. We needed to utilise whatever opportunities we got in the first half. We were lucky that we got the two goals.”

Moosa also spoke about the dressing room atmosphere at the break. “The dressing room was very positive at halftime. The smiles on their faces made me feel confident. They were not worried about the win or the loss, they just wanted to play,” he said.

On playing Sunil Chhetri – who was adjudged Hero of the Match for a brilliant performance -- in a natural attacking position, Moosa said: “The problem with Bengaluru this season was the lack of a proper number 9. The left wing was getting exposed a lot as well. My main focus was to find someone to hold the ball up front. Getting Sunil there really worked for us.”

Watch Naushad Moosa's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, SC East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler was gracious in defeat after a result that further dented their top-four aspirations. “We had a game plan. We knew what we wanted to do. We need to give Bengaluru a lot of credit as well because they made it difficult for us. They blocked the paths and cut off the little pockets and that made it difficult for us.

“There is always pressure when you are two goals down. We tried to implement a few things but nothing really changed. A lot of players had opportunities and quite frankly we didn’t take it. Nothing went in our favour. But we have to pick ourselves up and go again.

“The next game is massively important. We give the players a target and that is still achievable. It is getting difficult but we will keep fighting,” he said.

Watch Robbie Fowler's Post-Match Press conference here: