The day-after of Mohun Bagan’s 3-0 romp against Churchill Brothers in an I-League match was well spent by the likes of Joseba Beitia, Fran Gonzalez and Nongdamba Naorem.
The players spent some quality time at the Utorda beach in south Goa basking in the glory of their brilliant victory, which has put them on the cusp of the title triumph.
“It’s a fantastic beach and was the perfect way to savour our win. Right now, we are enjoying every moment both on as well as off the field. We are functioning as a unit… It’s a like a family. And that’s one of the main reasons behind our success,” Beitia told The Telegraph on Sunday evening.
The Spanish midfield maestro said Bagan are now the favourites to win the I-League. At the same time, he prefers to tread cautiously. “Yes, those three points were very important. We are now closer to the title. But we haven’t won it yet and that’s why we need to stay focused,” Beitia said.
Bagan are perched at the top of the table with 32 points from 13 matches. That’s a staggering 11 points more than second-placed Punjab FC.
In recent past very few team has dominated the I-League, the way Kibu Vicuna’s men are doing right now. Beitia’s compatriot Fran Gonzalez, who has so far scored nine goals and is sharing the top-scorer’s list with Punjab FC’s Dipanda Dicka, however feels there is room for improvement. “We are playing well but we have to improve in every game,” is Gonzalez’s view.
Coach Vicuna when asked about the win said it was a very satisfying three points. “I am very happy because it was a very difficult match especially in the first half. We started very well but they had two very good chances. For 15-20 minutes they had the ball more than us. We were running behind the ball and that is not our style,” the Spaniard said. “In the second half, we lifted our game and scored two goals. We also created many chances. We were in complete control and I liked the way we played,” he added.
Bagan are now unbeaten in 11 matches but Vicuna is not giving too much importance to the statistics. “For us, the objective is to win the League. These 11-match unbeaten streak is just a mere statistics and to be honest, I am not interested in that,” he signed off.
