Mohun Bagan’s Coach Jose Francisco Molina Frustrated After 2-2 Draw with Mumbai City FC
Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s head coach, Jose Francisco Molina, expressed his frustration over his team’s defensive lapses as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season opener in Kolkata on Friday.
Match Overview
Leading 2-0 at halftime, thanks to a Tiri own goal and a strike from Alberto Rodriguez, Mohun Bagan SG allowed Mumbai City FC to mount a second-half comeback. Goals from Tiri and Thaer Krouma enabled the visitors to level the score and secure a point. Mumbai City FC not only dominated possession but also registered more shots on target, presenting significant challenges for the hosts.
Coach’s Comments
While the coach was disappointed with his team’s defensive mistakes, he acknowledged their overall defensive effort. “We made mistakes in some specific actions but the game was under control,” Molina said in the post-match press conference. “Mumbai City FC had more possession than us. Then they didn’t cause us many problems, and we had to defend more than we wanted. But we were defending well. We did not concede too many chances for them to score. But in two actions, they took advantage of our mistakes, and that’s the problem,” he said.
Recent Patterns
The Mariners must quickly address their tendency to concede goals while in the lead, a pattern evident in recent matches. They experienced a similar scenario in the Durand Cup final, where NorthEast United FC came back from a two-goal deficit to win on penalties.
Looking Forward
“We couldn’t finish the match the way we wanted,” Molina said. “To be honest, we’re not at the same level as Mumbai City FC. They had a better pre-season because they did not play in the Durand Cup. They had the same coach from last year, which is an advantage for them. I’m a new coach, and for a team to adapt to any new coach, there is a process, and mistakes are made. We made some mistakes in that moment of the match. But the truth is, we don’t have much time to make mistakes. We have to play better and defend better to win matches. Of course, at this moment I’m upset. I’m working every day with my players to avoid conceding goals. We have to focus on that, keep working, stay positive, and hopefully, in the next matches, we will play better,” he concluded.
Doubts Revealed
Mohun Bagan -: Mohun Bagan is a famous football club in India. They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in the country.
Jose Francisco Molina -: Jose Francisco Molina is the head coach of Mohun Bagan Super Giant. He is responsible for training the players and making strategies for the matches.
Mumbai City FC -: Mumbai City FC is another football club in India. They compete in the Indian Super League (ISL), which is a professional football league in India.
ISL -: ISL stands for Indian Super League. It is a professional football league in India where different football clubs compete against each other.
2024-25 season opener -: The 2024-25 season opener refers to the first match of the ISL season for the years 2024-2025.
defensive lapses -: Defensive lapses mean mistakes made by the players who are supposed to stop the other team from scoring goals.
pre-season -: Pre-season is the period before the official matches start. During this time, teams practice and play friendly matches to prepare for the season.
continuity with their coach -: Continuity with their coach means that Mumbai City FC has had the same coach for a longer time, which helps the team play better because they are used to his style of coaching.
