Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Habas expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance as they emerged victorious against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Wednesday.

While both teams had opportunities throughout the game, the deadlock was eventually broken by Dimitri Petratos in the second half, as he cleverly caught the keeper off his line and delicately chipped the ball into the net.

Although FC Goa created better chances in the first half, the Mariners gradually gained momentum in the game after the restart, posing significant challenges to the opposition defence. The result marked the end of the Gaurs' 12-match unbeaten run, while the Mariners secured their eighth win of the season from 13 games.

Reflecting on the match, Habas commended his team's discipline and determination in the second half, even though the opening half belonged to FC Goa.

“The first half was for FC Goa. After that, we made a few substitutions and the team was better. I think that in the second half we decided (the game) and we scored. The team was disciplined and (created chances) going forward. We had energy, that was the most important (for the win). We have more energy now with young players,” he said in the post-match press conference.

This victory is very important for us. Because now the team has started to grow. We came here with a possibility to win. This win is an important win because FC Goa was the number one (unbeaten team) in the last few months and today they lost to us,” he added.

After enduring a challenging phase with three consecutive losses at the close of December 2023, Mohun Bagan Super Giant has staged an impressive comeback, remaining unbeaten in their last three league matches and securing victories in two of them. Since Habas took charge of the team, the Mariners have yet to suffer a defeat.

Their next challenge involves hosting NorthEast United FC in their upcoming game, marking their third match within a seven-day span. Habas has indicated the possibility of tweaking his starting eleven for the forthcoming fixture, considering the demanding schedule his team is navigating.

“We have to think about the first eleven because we have three matches in one week. We travel and (we have to keep in account) the change of temperature. We have to analyse the first eleven and make maybe 4-5 changes,” he concluded.