Jose Molina was displeased with his side’s performance in the second half as Mohun Bagan Super Giant were held to a 2-2 draw by Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant saw their five-game winning streak come to an end after a lively draw against Mumbai City FC.

The match showcased contrasting halves, as Mohun Bagan Super Giant initially dominated the first half, scoring two goals through Jamie Maclaren and Dimi Petratos. However, the second half saw a resurgence from Mumbai City FC, who equalized with goals from Jon Toral and Nathan Rodrigues, despite being reduced to ten men after Vikram Partap Singh received a red card.

Molina reflected on the team's performance, acknowledging their strong first-half performance but expressed disappointment with their second-half play, particularly after the red card.

"We did a great first 45 minutes, really good. The beginning of the second half was not so good, but good enough. But, after the sending off (for Vikram Singh), being one more player on the pitch, we were not that good; we were not Mohun Bagan Super Giant," he said during the post-match press conference.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining their established playing style, arguing that deviating from their usual tactics could jeopardize their success. Mumbai City FC put the visitors on the backfoot despite the numerical disadvantage, trying to create chances till the end which ultimately resulted in the equaliser.

"We had created something so far during this season, a team spirit, a way to play. Then, when we have one more player, we start to do things differently. Not the things we were doing until now, which put us on the top of the table and with the Shield. So if we start to do different things, we can see what could happen," he stated.

"For me, it is easy. We have to play in the way we work every day, in the way we are playing every match, and not try to do different things," he added.

He noted that even with a numerical advantage, Mumbai City posed challenges due to their organizational strength and technical skills.

"Even with one player more, Mumbai City FC is a good team, who have a really good organization, good technique, and good quality. To be honest, we were not under pressure because, apart from two set-pieces, they didn't have too many chances to score. But we were strong in the set-pieces and today we suffered two goals in set-pieces. We have to be stronger than we were in the past matches and play our way."

Molina rejected the notion that his team became complacent after securing the League Shield, asserting their strong start in the match. He admitted that while the second half was not up to the mark, the experience should serve as a lesson to avoid similar mistakes in future games.

The head coach said, "No, we did a great first half, 45 minutes, don't think we were relaxed in the first 45 minutes. We started the match well, we played well, we defended well, we attacked well. We scored two goals."

"In the second half, maybe, but Mumbai City FC is a good team, we were in their home stadium, and they started to do something more, maybe we had not-so-good moments like in the first half, but still good. But, with one more man, it's true that we didn't keep possession, didn't move the ball in the right way, missed a lot of passes and it's not our way. I hope that can serve us to learn one more time and not make the same mistakes in the next matches.”