Mumbai City FC took advantage of our mistakes: Mohun Bagan SG’s Jose Molina
Mohun Bagan SG head coach Molina shares his thoughts after his side drew against Mumbai City FC despite leading 2-0 at half-time in the ISL opener.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach lamented his side’s defences lapses as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season opener in Kolkata on Friday.
Despite leading 2-0 at halftime, thanks to a Tiri own goal and a strike from Alberto Rodriguez, Mohun Bagan SG saw Mumbai City FC mount a comeback in the second half. Goals from Tiri and Thaer Krouma allowed the visitors to level the score and secure a point.
Mumbai City FC not only dominated possession but also registered more shots on target, posing significant challenges for the hosts. While Molina was disappointed with his team’s defensive errors, he acknowledged their overall defensive effort.
“We made mistakes in some specific actions but the game was under control,” Molina said in the post-match press conference.
“Mumbai City FC had more possession than us. Then they didn’t cause us many problems, and we had to defend more than we wanted. But we were defending well. We did not concede too many chances for them to score. But in two actions, they took advantage of our mistakes, and that’s the problem,” he added.
Not the start @mohunbagansg would've expected in #ISL 2024-25! 😮#MBSGMCFC #LetsFootball #MBSG | @Sports18 pic.twitter.com/ZKCO2nT6Ax
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 13, 2024
The Mariners need to quickly address their tendency to concede goals while in the lead, as seen in recent matches. They experienced a similar situation in the Durand Cup final, where NorthEast United FC came back from a two-goal deficit to win on penalties, denying them the trophy for the second consecutive season.
“We couldn’t finish the match the way we wanted,” Molina said.
“To be honest, we’re not at the same level as Mumbai City FC. They had a better pre-season because they did not play in the Durand Cup. They had the same coach from last year, which is an advantage for them. I’m a new coach, and for a team to adapt to any new coach, there is a process, and mistakes are made. We made some mistakes in that moment of the match. But the truth is, we don’t have much time to make mistakes. We have to play better and defend better to win matches. Of course, at this moment I’m upset. I’m working every day with my players to avoid conceding goals. We have to focus on that, keep working, stay positive, and hopefully, in the next matches, we will play better,” he explained.
