"It was very important that we perform today" - Kerala Blasters FC boss left satisfied after victory against SC East Bengal

Kerala Blasters FC players celebrate a 1-0 win over SC East Bengal. (Image Courtesy: ISL Media)

Kerala Blasters FC came away with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against SC East Bengal in the Indian Super League 2021-22 season on Monday. A 49th-minute header from Enes Sipovic became the eventual differentiator between the two sides.

.@KeralaBlasters' midfield engine, @puitea_7 is tonight's Hero of the Match for his standout performance that included a vital 🅰️ssist! 🎯🚂

#KBFCSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/WOLG3it6TH

The Tuskers suffered a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Jamshedpur FC in their previous game. Asked how important it was to recover from the loss, Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic said:

"It was very important that today we achieved those points. We are very glad that we were capable of doing it because after such a defeat, it was very important that we perform today. We tried to have a clean sheet and tried to score a goal for this victory. We showed so far this season that for us, the most difficult games were against the teams from the bottom of the table. I think that our tonight's opponent (SC East Bengal) does not deserve to be at the bottom because they can play nice football."

There was very little to separate the two ISL teams on Monday night. Asked if either team could've won the three points, Vukomanovic said:

"Yes, absolutely. I think that from seeing the first half, we were the team who were pressing more, who maybe wanted more and were pushing more in the first half. In the second half, we wanted to stay strong. We wanted to start very strong with the pressure in the second half, which resulted in the corner kick, after which we scored our goal. And then after that, we kind of lost the grip, lost the control in the midfield. But anyway, we stayed organized."

View the ISL winners list here.

"We did very well today" - SC East Bengal head coach lauds team after defeat against Kerala Blasters FC

Meanwhile, SC East Bengal were left dejected after a frustrating loss. The Red & Gold looked on top throughout the second-half but couldn't carve out the equalizer. However, head coach Mario Rivera lauded his players' efforts.

Fran Sota was inches away from rescuing a point for @sc_eastbengal! 🤏😮

#KBFCSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ISLMoments https://t.co/zlCeeEmnnl

Asked if the Torchbearers could've come out with a point from the game, the new SC East Bengal boss said:

"Yes, of course. We did very well today, we defended well. We attacked well and created chances. They didn't create chances, we stopped all their counterattacks. But once you get a set-piece, you can lose a match. This is football for you. The goal came from a set-piece. You always have to be better in the set piece."

With this defeat, the Red & Gold Brigades' winless run was extended to five matches. SC East Bengal find themselves in the 10th spot with 10 points from 17 matches. They now have a seven-day gap before they play their next match. Rivera will hope that his side will be a little lucky when they take on Mumbai City FC.