"East Bengal capitalized on something that they did not create" - Mohun Bagan coach Clifford Miranda after loss in derby | Kalinga Super Cup 2024

Mohun Bagan Super Giant crashed to a 1-3 loss at the hands of their cross-town rivals East Bengal in the Kalinga Super Cup in Bhubaneshwar on Friday. A couple of goals from Cleiton Silva and a tap-in from Nandhakumar Sekar was enough to give the advantage to the Torchbearers.

East Bengal bounced back strongly after being sent on the backfoot by the Mariners, who struck first thanks to a Hector Yuste backheel. Clifford Miranda, who is the acting head coach of the Mariners in the absence of the newly appointed Habas, was far from being in the best of moods when he addressed the media after the game.

"East Bengal capitalised on something that they did not create. We tried to create chances, and we were successful. However, in football, you have to score goals to win. This is what we failed to do today. It was quite unfortunate, but then what can be done? It is football, and that is what always happens. If you do not convert your chances, you are highly likely to concede soon," said Miranda.

"The penalty turned out to be the talking point of this game. I don't know why that decision was given- it was quite strange. It may have been on the referee's blind side which may have prompted him to give the decision. However, I think that it was quite strange that he gave it. I honestly do not know what went wrong there," he added.

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"I don't think there is anything wrong with the club as such" - Clifford Miranda

Clliford Miranda was questioned extensively about how the Mariners' performances in the recent past.

The first match they won in the Super Cup was via a controversial Armando Sadiku goal against Sreenidi Deccan. The goal was quite clearly offside, but it beat the eyes of the linesmen.

In their second match against Hyderabad FC, they were assisted by an own goal and a controversial penalty decision in the dying stages of the game to win.

On Friday, they were outplayed by their neighbors, who will not let them rest easy for months to come.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with the club as such. Yes (Hyderabad FC almost won against them in the previous game), but we are talking about a different game here. Ultimately, we won that game, and unfortunately, we lost this. I think it is just a phase, and we have to come out of it," said Miranda.

"I think the new coach (Habas) will bring different ideas with him to the club and that will help us going forward. I hope the team does well under him; that is all we can expect at this point. There are some things we need to work upon, and we will continue doing so," he concluded.