We had a lot of time to recover: Mohun Bagan SG’s Antonio Habas
Antonio Habas shared his thoughts after Mohun Bagan Super Giant recorded a thrilling comeback win over NorthEast United FC to move to the second spot.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Habas lauded his team's resilience after they got the better of NorthEast United FC in a six-goal thriller in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.
Tomi Juric broke the deadlock inside six minutes through a spot kick. Mohun Bagan SG struggled to convert their chances and score after that until injury time of the opening half where they scored through Liston Colaco and Jason Cummings, taking a 2-1 lead into half-time. Juric equalised for the Highlanders soon after the restart but the hosts reclaimed their lead through a goal from Dimitri Petratos before Sahal Samad added another one four minutes later. The Mariners defended resolutely for the remainder of the game to record their third straight league win.
With their ninth win of the season, Mohun Bagan SG climbed to the second spot in the ISL standings. Looking back at the game, Habas highlighted a bunch of different factors behind the team’s comeback win.
“The energy, the commitment, the attitude were crucial for the win. I think we have a fantastic group and a good team at the moment,” he stated in the post-match press conference.
This was the second straight game where Mohun Bagan SG battled back to secure a point or more after conceding first, having previously salvaged a 2-2 draw in the Kolkata derby despite trailing early in the game. Against the Highlanders, the Mariners let go of their lead once but battled brilliantly to reclaim the lead and see out the win. Habas stated the team’s belief in their philosophy was key.
"We had a lot of time to recover from the situation (after conceding early) and score goals. In the first moment, it was very difficult to accept the situation (of being behind) but the team was strong. They believed in our ideas and we didn’t have any problem after that," Habas explained.
Mohun Bagan SG are yet to lose a league game since Habas took charge of the team. After suffering three straight defeats in December, they are unbeaten in their last four games and have recorded three wins during this period. Habas believes that his team still has significant progress ahead and clarified that he is far from content.
"When we go the final (I’ll be the happiest). Now it’s normal. This is part of my job. It’s not good when you get too happy upon winning and too angry when you lose. You need to have balance, that’s the secret,” the Spaniard revealed.