"Performance and intent of the players is something to be proud of"- Mario Rivera after SC East Bengal's loss against Hyderabad FC
SC East Bengal suffered a 0-4 hammering at the hands of Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League on Monday. This came after they had grabbed their first win of the season against FC Goa in their match. However, new head coach Mario Rivera believes while the result was disappointing, the performance of the players and their intent should be lauded.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Red & Gold Brigade's new boss said:
"Of course when you lose you are a little disappointed with the result. With the performance of the players and the intention to play is something to be proud of, they gave it their all and we tried to score up until the end and we tried to play good football but some mistakes were very bad for us."
The outcome of Monday night's game was single-handedly decided by Bartholomew Ogbeche, who scored a hat-trick against SC East Bengal. Asked if Ogbeche is the best player in the league, Rivera said:
"I think that all the balls that he touched in the box went to the goal. Obviously, he's the top scorer. He's one of the best players in this league. He's had a long career of scoring in every country that he played in. He's a very good player."
Meanwhile, SC East Bengal next face their local rivals ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL fixture. In response to a query about how the coach plans to approach a game like that, the Spaniard said:
"Our plan is the same. We will try to win. If we are losing we will try to score and if we are winning, we will try to score more. My idea and the idea that the boys have is to try to win and for the derby we will play with more intention and try to dedicate the match to our supporters."
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"We were very clinical today" - Hyderabad FC boss Manolo Marquez after win against SC East Bengal
Although Hyderabad FC came away with a thumping victory against SC East Bengal, head coach Manolo Marquez remained his usual composed self. Ahead of the game, the HFC boss had said that he expects a tough game. However, on the field, things panned out differently.
Speaking about the game, Marquez said:
"We were very clinical today. If you look at the scoresheet it seems to be an easy game. But it's true, the moment we were winning 1-0 and they were attacking. But we created more chances than SCEB, especially in the first half."
Not only did the Nizams score four goals, they also came away with a cleansheet against SC East Bengal.
"When you get a clean sheet you are always happy. Even SC East Bengal missed a penalty and Laxmikant Kattimani made a very good save. It’s very important if our team concede fewer goals and I am very happy to score four. But if we don't concede goals, for sure we won't lose the game. If we are the team who concedes the least goals we will definitely reach the Top Four," the 53-year-old said.
Meanwhile, Marquez also showered praise on Ogbeche for his performance on the night. He also mentioned Javier Siverio for hard work throughout the game.
"I am very happy with Javier Siverio. Today Bart [Ogbeche] scored the goals but the hard work was done by Javi."