Both coaches regret not winning as Sanjay Sen worries about Glen's "body language" against old club

AFTER A NERVY DRAW at the Barasat Stadium, the head coaches of both Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong claimed to have been unlucky not to win the tie.

Lajong coach Thangboi Singto, in a whirlwind post-match press conference, came in and blamed the referee for his side dropping three points,

"Tactically, our plans worked... we did them. We should have won this match, but the refereeing was poor."

As he made a quick exit, Sanjay Sen came in to speak about his perspective of the match. He said,

"We created more openings tonight than any other match we played this season. We should've won this 5-1. But we were unlucky, the balls didn't go in, Balwant even found the post. It's all part of football. But we came back after going a goal down, it's a good sign. Wish we'd won. The next match has now become more vital for us."

Asked whether dropping points against Lajong at home was a setback, Sen asserted,

"Leagues around the world see results like this. We missed too many chances... it's a part of football. They scored a lucky goal from a dead ball situation, it was poor marking. But we didn't let them create many chances."

The coach justified the two early substitutions he made in the second half after his team went a goal down,

"If someone isn't performing there's no point keeping them on the pitch. The two changes I made produced good results. Souvik, especially, dominated the midfield. He bridged the gap between Katsumi and Bikramjit. As for Glen, his body language wasn't very positive... he was playing against his old team... I don't know what happened. I'll have to talk to him, day after tomorrow at practice."

Eager to take positives from the game, Sen drew parallel to this fixture from the previous season,

"Last time we drew against Lajong as well but became champions. That doesn't mean we'll be champions again. But in a league there will be draws and losses. Our job is to minimise the damage. And that's where I like the way our players showed intention in coming back from behind."

The I-League winning coach signed off by saying he didn't mind the time-wasting tactics that Lajong had employed throughout the second half,

"Time-wasting is a part of football. Maybe we'd do the same if we were in their shoes. It's up to the referee to make sure it's not overdone. No complaints here."