"Football is full of mistakes" - East Bengal FC's head coach after his side's defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan in the Kolkata derby | ISL 2022-23

East Bengal FC were up against ATK Mohun Bagan in the first Kolkata derby of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season. The two sides fought it out at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

The Red and Gold Brigade started the game strongly and matches their opposition in every department. However, the game started slipping from them in the second-half after Kamaljit Singh's howler led to the side conceding the first goal. Moments later, ATK Mohun Bagan added a second goal, securing a win against Stephen Constantine's side.

The head coach attended the post-match press conference and answered questions relating to his team's defeat to ATK Mohun Bagan. He started off by thanking the fans of both clubs. Constantine was hesitant to put the blame on the keeper. H said:

"Personally, I want to thank both sets of fans. They created a fantastic atmosphere. Football is full of mistakes. We cannot blame the keeper. We were the better team in the first half. If we would have scored, maybe it would have been a different game."

He has stuck to the statement that made when he joined the club ahead of the 2022-23 season. Constantine believes with the new setup, it will take some time before East Bengal FC can become a bigger threat. He said:

"I said a long time ago that this club has new management in place. We have new players as well. So it is going to take time. I think in every game we've done a little better. Some ATK Mohun Bagan players have said that this is the best side they have faced so far and I thank them for that."

"I am not going to use that as an excuse" - East Bengal FC's head coach on refereeing decisions going against his side

In the first-half of the Kolkata derby, there were two instances which made many believe that East Bengal FC were let down by poor decisions from the match officials.

The first one involved Jordan O'Doherty, while the second one centered on Cleiton Silva. However, Stephen Constantine did not point the finger at the referees for his team's defeat. He said:

"I am not talking about decisions made by the referees. That's not for me. I am not going to use that as an excuse. We were very confident at half-time. We controlled the first-half from start to finish except for the initial moments when we weren't so good."

East Bengal FC will host Chennaiyin FC in their next ISL 2022-23 encounter on November 4. Constantine and his side will be desperate to make amends for their defeat in the Kolkata derby.