ISL 2022-23: Disappointed with the missed opportunities: NEUFC head coach Marco Balbul

NorthEast United FC head coach Marco Balbul was disappointed with the missed opportunities after his team lost to East Bengal FC by 3-1 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on Thursday. The home team dominated the possession with 57% but they could not grab their chances.

The Highlanders took a total of 18 shots, out of which three were on target. Cleiton Silva, Charis Kyriakou, and Jordan O’Doherty gave a 3-0 lead to the visiting team. Matt Derbyshire scored in the injury time for the hosts but it was just too late for the team.

Balbul was disappointed with the way his team performed in the home conditions and feels they gifted the first goal to the opposition, which changed the momentum of the game.

Marco Balbul said in the press conference, “I’m really frustrated to lose this game at home. We started very well in the first half and we were the better team on the pitch. We gave them a present with the first goal. They didn’t create any big chances until the first goal. It was our mistake and a big mistake. And then we controlled the game, we created some big chances and good chances. One with Matt Derbyshire during the last moment of half time, it was an unbelievable chance that he missed. In the second half, we started to chase them and they punished us with a good counterattack. And also after that, we created some good chances when Sylvester Igboun came on and the score was 2-0. But unfortunately, we lost 1-3, so it means nothing good for us.”

Balbul admitted that his team was not up to the mark on the pitch and made a lot of mistakes, which led to their downfall.

The Israel manager said, “We made a huge mistake in the first half from which they got 1-0, otherwise they didn’t create anything. And of course, the last decision with the pass was bad. We created a lot of good chances to score but we didn’t take them. I’m really disappointed. I think the players give everything and they put in a lot of effort to produce a good result. But unfortunately, we lost. We’re looking forward to the next game. This is football. We should work hard, and be consistent because we saw some good things. We need to give the players a lift ahead of the next game.”

NorthEast United FC has lost all of their three matches and they will look to bounce back in the upcoming matches. The Highlanders will face Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on 30th October.