Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic is not scrutinising the situation, but is focused on the road ahead after their narrow 0-1 loss to Bengaluru FC in their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco.

Naorem Roshan Singh’s 76th minute strike was enough to register full points from the fixture and revive their campaign, thus ending Kerala Blasters FC’s 10-match unbeaten record. While the Blues climbed to the fourth spot on the league table with 20 points from 14 matches, the Blasters are still at the third place with identical points, having played two matches less.

Vukomanovic addressed the media during the post-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference:

Was the result hard on your team?

Yeah, but, you know, even it happens in football. You are better and you lose a game, then the feeling is not the same, what I said to all players in the dressing room, after everything that has happened in the last two weeks, you know and all the things going around.

I have to say that I'm really proud. I'm really proud today of seeing those boys coming out, with so much passion, so much commitment, wanting to compete, wanting to play after everything that has happened. We are so proud and I think that's the right way you know and even if you lose this kind of game, you have to stay positive.

Every point dropped is posing a threat to Kerala Blasters FC’s title aspirations. What are your thoughts on that?

You know, since we started, we will never talk about the top four and the circumstances and the situation that we are now, we have the chance to be in. We must never forget that. In the last year we were the team second from bottom, and now we are coming from far away. We have so many players going through the great development phases, speaking about domestic players and the foreigner squad, bringing something extra.

And we are happy when we see that kind of progress. I think, till the Covid-19 outbreak in our camp, I think that we were the team who was playing one of the best football in the league. I think that we were the team who were playing with such passion, such great things and great moments.

And we want to continue like that. You know, sometimes it happens that you lose games like today, where we were kind of a better side, but, you know, we were trying hard. We were pushing hard. We conceded a goal from a set piece. It was a great shot. We have no regrets. We are not sad. We have to continue.

What are the positives you are taking away from the match?

Mentality, commitment, passion. Let's say the friendship and the great energy that these boys have among them in the dressing room and on the pitch, seeing them so happy with a smile, playing with a passion with that energy wanting to win every game.

It makes me happy. Again, comparing with the previous periods and previous year, we are doing a good job. They know that they're working so hard and we have to continue doing so. So it makes me happy when they see all these things. We have great energy. We have a great atmosphere.