“We are making mistakes in every match,” says Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal after Indian Arrows clash

After two draws from their opening two matches, Mohun Bagan finally got back to winning ways against Indian Arrows in the Hero I-League 2018-19.

A brace from Dipanda Dicka was enough for the green and maroon side to secure all the three points. Mohun Bagan will be travelling to play another away match against Real Kashmir, on November 20th.

More than the win, Mohun Bagan kept a clean sheet against Arrows, who came close to scoring on two occasions. Visibly relieved after the match, Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said,

“I am happy that we have not conceded today. But in the last two matches, we have played excellent football but somehow failed to manage three points. So as I said earlier, our target from this match was three points and we are happy to achieve it. The players will also get confidence from this result. Because playing well but not getting full points could’ve frustrated them more. Now, we’ll look to maintain this winning mentality in coming matches.”

Srinagar has already seen incessant snowfalls in the past week. The chilling cold may pose a major problem along with the astroturf of TRC Ground, where Mohun Bagan will play. Asked if that will a threat, Sankarlal said,

“I think the astroturf will not be a problem. Our players are used to play in astroturfs. We have played in Barasat Ground in Kolkata, which is an astroturf. Dicka had played in Lajong in astroturf as well. But it would be really tough to acclimatise with the cold weather. We are thinking of going there couple of days before the match.”

Talking about their opponents today, Sankarlal said,

“Indian Arrows have a brilliant team, brilliant players. They are the future of our country.”

Apart from the two goals, Mohun Bagan players have a missed a handful of chances in the opponent’s box. Also on their defensive part, they allowed Arrows players to come inside their own half. Asked about the reason, Sankarlal said,

“I am really concerned about this. We are making mistakes in every match. We are going to have four-five days of training before the next match and I’ll try to rectify those.”

Cameroonian footballer Dipanda Dicka was also relieved after getting the back of the net for the first time this season. He put all the credit on his teammates for the win,

“We played well. Not me but all other players. I should say thanks to our goalkeeper for putting up a clean sheet. We got chances and I scored two goals. The goals are important for me, so I am very happy. This will increase my confidence.”

“Pintu (Mahata) and Sourav (Das) were making differences on the midfield. They played very well. It’s good to see they are using their chances on the field. They are developing with every game. This is good for the team,” Dicka added.