East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat shielded his players after they let a lead slip to lose to Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday.

East Bengal FC led through a Nandhakumar Sekar goal on the stroke of half-time but late goals from Rei Tachikawa and Jeremy Manzorro meant East Bengal FC had to leave Jamshedpur FC empty-handed.

The Spaniard though didn’t want to swell too much on the manner of their loss.

“When you don't increase your lead, anything can happen,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“We had many clear chances to score the second goal. But the players are giving everything to the team, so I am happy,” he added.

This is the third loss for the team since they won the Kalinga Super Cup but Cuadrat remains optimistic about qualifying for the ISL playoffs.

“There are still seven games to play. We have played fewer games than other teams so it makes it look like we have a lot to do,” he said.

“We have to be competitive. It's a league where any team can beat any team,” he concluded.