"Our team was absolutely superior and deserved the score of 3-0" - Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Lopez Habas

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Lopez Habas has stated that his team deserved to win and bag all three points for their performance against Jamshedpur FC on Friday, March 1.

Speaking at the post-match press conference after the Mariners' comfortable 3-0 victory over the Red Miners at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, an elated Habas said:

"Evidently, the team has had a fantastic progression, until now. I congratulate my players, for their performance (tonight), for their sacrifice. This is the most important thing. And above all, the cohesion of the team is fantastic. This is the way for getting an important target. Our team was absolutely superior and deserved the score of 3-0."

Mohun Bagan took an early lead, thanks to Dimitri Petratos' seventh-minute goal. The hosts doubled their lead through Jason Cummings in the 68th minute before Armando Sadiku rounded off the scoring 12 minutes later.

"Manvir Singh can be the best player in India" - Antonio Lopez Habas

Heaping praise on Manvir Singh, who provided two assists in the game against Khalid Jamil's men, Antonio Lopez Habas was convinced that the forward would become the best player in India, given his versatility.

"He was the director, right. And that is a fantastic performance from Manvir, and the rest of the team also. I am convinced that he can be the best player in India, my opinion. I said that long time ago, now it’s coming, which is good news for Mohun Bagan SG, for the technical staff also. I only control his position in my club. And he can play in both sides. In the first moments of his career, he played as a striker. But I think that he can play in any position he wants because he is a good professional," the Spaniard explained.

On whether Joni Kauko's return has bolstered the Mohun Bagan Super Giant squad, with the midfielder already registering three assists in five matches since his comeback last month, Habas added:

"Evidently. (He is a) good player. Joni got to be patient because this is one year, (when he had) no play in competitions, or professional football. We have to be putting in the minutes. Maybe one match (he) can play 65 minutes and in another, he can play 75 minutes. And we need him."

The Kolkata giants are currently second in the 2023-24 ISL points table with 33 points from 16 matches, trailing league leaders Odisha FC by two points. However, the Kalinga Warriors have played a game more.