AFC Cup: I still need some games – East Bengal’s Ryuji Sueoka

Ryuji Sueoka

Japanese attacker Ryuji Sueoka made the headlines after his winner in East Bengal’s 1-0 victory over Indonesia’s Semen Padang in the AFC Cup quarter-final first leg but the interesting subplot for the media was the fact that the former Mohun Bagan man was not kept in the starting eleven.

In the build up to the game, Sueoka was quoted saying that he was fit and ready while coach Marcos Falopa was vocal about the Japanese players’ lack of fitness. Sueoka clarified the whole situation after Tuesday’s first leg.

“I think there has been some misunderstanding. There is a big difference between being ‘fit’ and ‘match fit’. I still need some games to be fully fit so I am happy with my contribution as a substitute today,” Sueoka said.

Despite the goal, the former Salgaocar and Dempo player believes he still has a lot more to give to the team.

“Scoring is always great but that’s not my only job. There are other players in the team like (Edeh) Chidi, (James) Moga and Joaquim (Abranches) who also need to do the scoring while I have to contribute in other areas and be a team player,” he said.

Not every player gets the chance to score the winner in an AFC Cup quarter-final so Sueoka was also full of respect for Falopa’s predecessor Trevor James Morgan and rest of the East Bengal squad for reaching the quarter-finals.

“I would like to thank the previous coach and the players for qualifying for this stage as it gave me the chance to play in such a big game,” he stated.