Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s assistant head coach, Clifford Miranda, expressed his pride in the team’s resilience and comeback after they secured a 2-2 draw against Odisha FC in the ISL at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The team found themselves in a challenging position with a 2-0 deficit in the first half, courtesy of Ahmed Jahouh’s brace.
The comeback began in the 58th minute when star forward Armando Sadiku scored, reigniting the team’s hopes. Sadiku completed his brace in injury time, leveling the score at 2-2 and creating an exhilarating match.
Despite the draw, the match didn’t end without drama, as both Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Juan Ferrando and Odisha FC forward Diego Mauricio received marching orders for a scuffle after the full-time whistle, adding more intensity to the fixture.
Miranda acknowledged the challenges faced by the team, with key players like Hugo Boumous, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, and substitute Glan Martins suffering injuries. The assistant head coach emphasized the team’s increasing challenges due to a tight schedule but expressed confidence in the squad’s depth.
He shared, “It is difficult because, especially with a lot of injuries. But then we knew this from the beginning and that is why we have a squad. We have other players who can fill up and hopefully will be able to do the job.”
“The effort of the entire team right from minute one to minute 98 has been phenomenal. You know, not just the players who are playing, but the players who are on the bench. And I think we have a very, very good squad. Not in just terms of ability, but in terms of character as well,” stated Miranda.
Player of the match Armando Sadiku accompanied Miranda to the post-match press conference. Expressing joy at having scored on such a special night, the Albanian international splited, “Every time I try to do my best. Sometimes I score, and sometimes I pass for the other. So this time I scored. I’m happy. To help the team (I) give (my) 100% every time, so I’m happy.”
Sadiku believes confidence that Mohun Bagan SG could have secured victory with five extra minutes, “If we have five minutes more, I’m sure we’re going to score and win this game.”
Despite the obstacles, Miranda believes that the team deserved all three points in the match and commended their performance. Looking ahead, he shared the team’s approach of taking one match at a time, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the present rather than looking too far into the future. Overall, Miranda’s statements reflect a mix of pride in the team’s resilience, acknowledgment of challenges, and confidence in the squad’s capabilities.
“For us, the most important thing is the next game. The next game and we don’t think beyond that. We have come up to now thinking match by match, and we don’t think what’s going to happen five weeks later. What is the most important thing is the next game and the next game and the next game. So we need to think and we are thinking only about the next game and that’s it,” he wrapped up.
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