It is a season to forget: SC East Bengal head coach Mario Rivera
Mar 06, 2022
Panaji (Goa) [India], March 6 : SC East Bengal head coach Mario Rivera was disappointed as his team failed to finish their campaign with a win following a 1-0 defeat against Bengaluru FC in Match 107 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco da Gama, Goa on Saturday.
Sunil Chhetri's solitary strike (24') proved to be the difference, bagging three points for the Blues in the final fixture of their ISL 2021-22 campaign.
"Yes, it was a very equal match. The things that happen in the box are the important things. We couldn't score and they scored easily. If you don't control and play better in the box area then you cannot win," said Mario Rivera in a post-match press conference, as per the ISL website.
"We wanted to use different players. Ananta and Subha played very well. Also, Perosevic was playing well but he got injured. But we wanted to control the match and we tried to get the ball. In the first half, they pressed a lot and they are a very good team while defending and we couldn't (score)," he added.
Regarding his experience of working with SC East Bengal, the head coach said that there are many positives but it is a season to forget as the team have performed poorly.
"We have many good things to keep. The team tried to be competitive, they played well and created many chances. There are many good things to keep, many positive things. But for us, it's a season to forget and we played poorly inside the box that's all," said the head coach.
The result meant that the Kolkata-based club finished the season at the bottom of the points table, with only one win in 20 matches. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC finished in sixth place as they secured 29 points overall.
