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NorthEast United FC, led by Khalid Jamil, suffered their first defeat of the Indian Super League 2021-22 season on Saturday. They fell 4-2 to southern giants Bengaluru FC at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Goa.
Cleiteon Silva, Jayesh Rane, and P Ibara scored for the Men in Blue while Deshorn Brown and Mathias Coureur scored for NUFC.
The Highlanders started the match on the front foot, fashioning several good chances. After the halftime break, the Highlanders needed a huge performance. But it never came, as they struggled to break down a stubborn Bengaluru FC, who held their shape well.
In an official media interaction after the match, NorthEast's head coach spoke about the loss and his team's performance.
"We tried our best but it was not our day," says NorthEast United gaffer Khalid Jamil
NorthEast United FC posed threats to Bengaluru FC in the first half but failed to take advantage of it. Upon being asked if the plan was only to attack the right side, Khalid stated:
"No, it was not like that. We planned just to think about our own game because we knew we were going to play against a tough team. Physically they are strong. We tried our best. It was not our day today."
Click here for the updated ISL 2021 point table.
A 2-4 loss at the hands of Bengaluru FC spoiled the party for the Higlanders. Coach Khalid Jamil has called for his squad to rapidly regroup and work on their weaknesses. Speaking about the things that his side needs to improve, the Indian coach asserted:
"Let's see. Tomorrow we have to sit and regroup. Defensively we have to be strong. And when we attack, we have to be sharp and clinical, so there are small things."
When asked why he chose an all-Indian defensive line-up, Khalid responded:
"Gallego was injured. Flottmann and other few players had diarrhoea so they were missing so we had to change the line-up last minute."
NorthEast United FC will lock horns with Kerala Blasters on the 25th of November. Despite the loss, the Northeast outfit will be confident they can deliver better results going forward. When questioned about the areas in which he wants to improve against Kerala Blasters, Khalid Jamil iterated:
"We have to think about our on game first first and then think about the Kerala team because it is an important game."
