ISL 2022-23: When we play well, we are a difficult team to beat: East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine

East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine feels they are a difficult team to beat when they play well. East Bengal FC defeated the previous season’s League Shield winners Jamshedpur FC by 3-1 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur on Sunday.

VP Suhair opened the scoring for East Bengal in the second minute of the game to give a perfect start to his team. Subsequently, Cleiton Silva scored in the 26th minute to double the lead of the visitors.

However, the home team bounced back into the contest as Jay Emmanuel-Thomas scored through a penalty before half-time. But any hopes of East Bengal equalizing in the game were ended when Silva scored his second goal of the night in the 58th minute.

Sharing his thoughts on the match, Constantine said in the post-match press conference, “We were expecting a very tough game from Jamshedpur FC, they are well set up with some good players, and we knew it was going to be a difficult game. We controlled the second balls for most of the time, and that gave us the opportunity to play the way we can. If you look at the games we have won and when we play well for 90 minutes, we are a difficult team to beat, and the boys were absolutely fantastic tonight.”

Constantine refused to blame the referee Crystal John for awarding the penalty to the opposition in the 40th minute. The 60-year-old feels it would be nice if VAR is introduced in the league.

The Englishman said, “I do not talk about referees because, at the end of the season, you are going to get some decisions in your favor, and sometimes you will not. It is a very difficult job for them, they have no time to make decisions. We would be super organized if at some point the VAR would come in and help the referees because that is its purpose. I do not know if it was a penalty or not, and again, it was a physical game, both sides were giving their all, and that is what you ask of the team.”

East Bengal FC took a total of seven shots on target and the veteran coach believes the team reaped rewards for creating their chances and then grabbing them with both hands.

He said, “I do not think we were lucky, as we created enough chances. Jamshedpur FC created one or two clear-cut chances at that point, but we played this kind of aggressive football, tried to get into the box, and we scored two goals exactly the same way last week. It is not an accident, so if we were lucky, then I will take that since we have been unlucky for most of the season rather than being lucky.”

East Bengal FC will next take on Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad on 9th December.