ISL 2022-23: Our performance in the second half is the way we shape up to be: EBFC head coach Stephen Constantine

East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine was happy with his team’s performance in the second half despite their 2-1 loss against FC Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Wednesday. Constantine wants his team to shape up in the upcoming matches as they did in the second half against the Gaurs.

FC Goa dominated the first half with Brandon Fernandes putting them in front in the seventh minute. However, the Red and Golden brigade was able to pull up their socks in the second half as Cleiton Silva scored in the 64th minute. East Bengal took a total of eight shots, out of which two were on target.

Stephen Constantine reckons his team totally dominated the contest in the second half.

He said in the post-match press conference while analyzing the game, “I think in the first half, FC Goa were the better side, they had more of the ball. We looked very nervous again, but in the second half, I felt we completely dominated the game, had a few chances. The way we conceded the goal, it was very disappointing. The plus side (of the game) is that we can see the little glimpses of what we’re going to look like going forward (in the season), and I thought it was exceptional in the second half, and this is the kind of performance that we’re looking for. Obviously, today we didn’t get the 90 minutes of it, we got only 45 which was not enough.”

East Bengal FC hasn’t gotten off to an ideal start in the season as they have lost both of their matches. However, Constantine didn’t want to put these two losses to bad luck.

He said, “I think you make your own luck. You can’t say it was bad luck because you lost the game, but I think we are trying to find our identity. As I said before, we are a new team, we have new players. We’ve had four actual weeks of training before the season started. When I arrived here, there were only 12 players in training. A lot has happened, and I’m not making excuses but it’s not the start we wanted. Obviously, we wanted those six points, but we are trying to find our identity. We’ll continue to work hard, and the second-half performance will continue to give us hope for the season ahead.”

There is no doubt that East Bengal came up with an improved show in the second half and it is definitely a big positive for the team.

East Bengal FC will travel to Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati for their third match against NorthEast United FC, which will be played on 20th October.