"We need to defend a lot better"- Mumbai City FC coach remarks after loss to Odisha FC
Odisha FC got the better of defending champions Mumbai City FC as they cruised to a 4-2 victory on Monday. The match was a tale of two halves as the Islanders entered half-time leading by a goal. However, they ended up conceding three goals in the second half by a stunning comeback by the Juggernauts.
"It's an amazing way to start 2022."
@JerryMawia10 reacts after leading @OdishaFC to victory against Mumbai City FC by scoring a crucial brace.
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Odisha FC took the lead just a few minutes into the match through Aridai Cabrera. However, Mumbai City FC soon equalized through a stunning goal from Ahmed Jahouh. Later, Igor Angulo headed the ball into the back of the net to extend the lead.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga put on a show in the second half as he scored twice and assisted once to gift Odisha FC all three points. Odisha FC assistant coach Kino Sanchez was all praise for the young man in the post-match press conference.
"Jerry deserved this. He was training for a match like this. The players, staff and everyone is very happy for him. He has been working very hard since the pre-season. He puts 100% in every match. Until the last minute, he was giving everything for the club. I am really happy for him."
Sanchez was delighted with the win and lauded the team's comeback from 1-2 to 4-2 at full-time. He said:
"We enjoyed the performance a lot. When the team wins, everyone enjoys it. Mumbai City are a really good team and they were good in phases in the game but we reacted well and managed the comeback."
He went on to explain how Odisha FC strategized after their friendly against their opponents and used it to win today. He added:
"When we played the friendly against Mumbai City in the pre-season, he figured out some ways we can beat them. We tried to take the ball from them. The best way was using the space, we have Nandha, Jerry, Aridai and Javi who was working a lot."
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"We were exceptional in the first-half"- Mumbai City FC coach Des Buckingham after his side's disappointing defeat to Odisha FC
Full-time at the Maidan.
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Mumbai City FC head-coach Des Buckingham reflected on his team's loss but appreciated the gameplay his players displayed in the first half. He said:
"In the first half, I think we were exceptional. We played some extremely good football and we should have been leading by more than one goal. We defended really well. This did not continue in the second half and that is something we need to address going into the next match against East Bengal."
The Englishman continued to talk about the mistakes his side made against Odisha FC and how they need to improve. He continued:
"I just think we need to be better individually and better collectively. There are a lot of things we need to do to prevent the ball from getting where it got to and then going for a goal. That's an area we need to work on as a team. Individually, we need to defend as well as we can."