ISL 2023-24: Ferrando, Boumous reveal Mohun Bagan SG's winning strategy against Bengaluru FC

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Sep 28, 2023, 11:10 AM IST

In their ISL 2023-24 clash, Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat Bengaluru FC by a slender margin of 1-0 in a gruelling contest at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday.

In their second home match of the 2023–24 Indian Super League (ISL) season, Mohun Bagan Super Giant's head coach, Juan Ferrando, expressed his satisfaction with the result as his team defeated Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Wednesday. Hugo Boumous's powerful strike in the 67th minute secured the win for the home side, marking their second consecutive victory of the season. Throughout the match, the Blues showcased strong defensive play, but it was one crucial mistake that made the difference. Despite being reduced to nine players, Bengaluru FC demonstrated their resilience but failed to find the equalizer, resulting in a 1-0 loss to MBSG.

2 wins in 2, we move! Joy Mohun Bagan! 💚♥️ pic.twitter.com/2CwgLRjtR0

— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg)

“I think it's necessary to control all the spaces. In the end, we created more chances. During the last minutes, we were able to create chances because the opponent was more focused on transitioning than playing their normal style. My target, obviously, for the next matches is to try to keep possession of the ball and find spaces (effectively)," Ferrando stated in the post-match conference.

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"We have had more chances today; in the last minutes, we have two, three: Manvir (Singh), Dimitri (Petratos), and Asish Rai. But the team was anxious. I think sometimes this anxiety can be a significant obstacle in football. You need to stay composed and in control of the situations,” he added.

Regarding his team's performance after taking the lead, the Spaniard acknowledged their improvement but stressed the need for further development in upcoming matches. “Obviously, we need to improve. I believe that paying attention to many details in situations like this is necessary to better control the space. After the match was tied at 0-0, we improved significantly after going up 1-0. However, the team struggled to control the spaces, so we must work on maintaining that control. This is why we need more training sessions,” Ferrando explained.

French attacking midfielder Hugo Boumous, who returned to the starting lineup, joined Ferrando in the post-match press conference and discussed their strategy to break Bengaluru's ultra-defensive line.

“By working on the move, occupying space with Liston and Manvir on the wings, along with me and Sahal, Dimi, and Liston making runs behind the defence to find space behind their midfield, we aimed to operate quickly and force the opposition to move laterally, ultimately wearing them down until we found the best opportunity to attack. However, we still had chances tonight," he said. "We could have certainly performed better and created clearer chances with improved decision-making and a more refined approach, making the quality of our play more accessible. It's up to us to keep improving week by week,” added Boumous.

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