Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 23 : East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon expressed his disappointment over his team's inability to capitalize on key opportunities as the Red and Gold Brigade fell to Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in the ongoing season of the Indian Super League.
Eager to get their first points on the board, East Bengal FC lost the game by 2-1 despite beginning the match with a strong intent.
Bruzon's side created numerous chances, but Odisha FC's resolute defence, and especially goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, held firm to deny early pressure from the visitors.
Odisha FC maintained their pace and looked dangerous on counter-attacks. Fijian striker Roy Krishna, making his second start of the season, put the home side ahead in the 22nd minute. Bruzon's men responded well and were awarded a penalty, which Dimitrios Diamantakos calmly converted, levelling the score at the half-time whistle.
In the second half, Odisha FC exuded control, limiting East Bengal FC's forays into their box. Ahmed Jahouh and Mourtada Fall combined once more, securing a lead that resulted in East Bengal FC's sixth consecutive defeat of the campaign.
"We did a beautiful job in the game, creating most of the chances, making Odisha FC have a lot of difficulty with the connection of the players in front. They could not connect a run of three or four passes, so at some point, they were just waiting for our mistake to run counterattacks," Bruzon said during the post-match press conference as quoted from ISL.
"Unfortunately, in one counter, with something that we had been working on during the week, Roy Krishna, with his speed, was smart enough to find the interval between our left back and centre back and capitalize to get one goal. The game was totally ours. It's a pity that we forgave or missed so many chances, and the moment they got the 1-0, it became much more difficult for us because they slowed the tempo of the game. They were just trying to, yeah, to put us to sleep," he added.
The Red and Gold Brigade remain at the bottom of the table, still in the quest to open their account after six matches. This marks the joint-worst start in ISL history, matching NorthEast United FC's (2022-23) record, as they are the only other team to lose their first six games of a season--NEUFC went on to lose their first ten matches.
Looking ahead, East Bengal FC will turn their attention to the AFC Challenge League, travelling to Bhutan for their group-stage matches. This will provide them with a brief respite before they return to ISL action against Mohammedan SC on November 9.
"No doubts that the break is going to be good for the team to adapt to the ideas of the new coach. But I didn't want to wait until the break. We need immediate results. It's already a quarter of the ISL, six games gone, and we have zero points," he said.
"So the only way to try to qualify for the final stages is by finishing in the top six, and to finish in the top six, you probably need to win ten games. So if you make the calculation, out of 18 games, you probably need to win ten (matches) if you want to qualify. So we are already in a countdown, and the season has just started," Bruzon opined.
He urged the fans to stand united during this challenging time and said, "I can say something (to the fans): believe in our team. We are going to come back, and no, I'm not talking about next season or the second window. We are going to come back soon, so be with the team because we are going to do everything and more to try to change it."