"Appreciate my players for the effort": Cuadrat after East Bengal's 1-0 loss to Mumbai

NEW DELHI: After the 1-0 loss against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) in Kolkata on Tuesday, East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat appreciated the Red and Gold players for their efforts in the game. While speaking at the post-match press conference, Cuadrat said that the club has been supporting him a lot and added that now there is a road map.

"I really appreciate my players for the effort (in these tough situations) and I really appreciate the club. They understand the situation. They have been supporting me a lot. They are also working to get some players (for the future). We are doing things in the right direction, the club and Emami. I think for the first time in 10 years, there is a roadmap," Cuadrat said as quoted by ISL's official website. He also asked the fans to believe that they can achieve things in the future.

"I am already demanding my players to believe and our supporters to believe (the same). We have been celebrating (a) a wonderful (achievement) 15 days ago (winning the Kalinga Super Cup), it's something very special for the club. We finished off the celebrations really fast because we were fighting against Mohun Bagan (SG) in the next game. So it's not that we are complacent. We have a plan. We want to fight for that (playoff) place. I believe and I want the East Bengal FC people to believe," he added. Recapping the match, in the 24th minute, with Spaniard Alberto Noguera chipping in a delightful delivery from some yards inside the halfway mark Guarrotxena did well to bring down and control first up. Despite losing possession briefly, he was aware enough to recover the ball and hammer it in from the centre of the box, which gave the visitors a lead in Kolkata.

On the other hand, the hosts had had decent chances to equalise in both the half, but Hijazi Maher and Victor Vazquez's efforts failed to help the Red and Golds clinch those crucial three points and succumbed to their second loss in a row. After the final whistle, the match ended 1-0 in favour of the Mumbai side.