Pawan Kumar
NorthEast United FC head coach Vincenzo Annese
In the most recent Hero Indian Super League (ISL) match, played on Wednesday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, East Bengal FC and NorthEast United FC shared the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw, which NorthEast United FC head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese felt his team deserved all three points.
East Bengal FC scored the game’s opening goal thanks to a precise header by Cleiton Silva, despite a flurry of raids from NorthEast United FC in the early going. Parthib Gogoi’s thundering shot for the visitors at the halfway point equalised the score. Jithin MS completed a superb play three minutes later to give the Highlanders a 2-1 lead.
Jake Jervis, a recent addition to East Bengal FC, scored his first goal for the team with an acrobatic volley in the last seconds of the opening half to tie the score at 2-2. At the hour mark, Cleiton Silva’s penalty kick gave the home team a new lead. However, the Torch Bearers’ celebration was ruined when replacement Imran Khan scored the equalising goal in the 85th minute.
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The positions of both teams are unchanged from when Matchweek 19 began. East Bengal FC recorded their first draw of the season, while the Highlanders earned their first away point of the year. Although Annese felt his team deserved more from this game, he appeared to be extremely pleased with their efforts.
In the press conference following the game, Annese said, “We proved to everyone that NorthEast United FC are a quality team and they play in attacking phases.
We’ve done a good job attacking, but we still wanted to score more goals, he continued.
Since the Highlanders’ new coach took over, their fortunes have improved to some extent. In ten games played under Annese, they have collected five points. The head coach of NorthEast United FC also thinks his team is doing far better than it did before to his arrival.
The players used to sit deeply on their backs and attempt to protect the outcome, so I’ve started to shift their thinking. We move forward now that we are considerably more compact. In my team, anyone can score goals,” declared Annese.
In the first five minutes of play, NorthEast United FC had two excellent clear-cut chances. They kept creating opportunities throughout the contest and had six more shots on goal than East Bengal FC. According to Annese, they were far superior to their opponents and appeared to be the team that deserved the three points.
“We deserved a lot more from the game. Three points were due to us. I simply observed East Bengal FC’s counterattacks. In terms of possessions, we’re even better, he stated.
Due to a knock, French midfielder Romain Philippoteaux was replaced in the 70th minute, although Annese remained optimistic about his participation in the upcoming match.
“We must observe (about his injury). I’m hoping we’ll be there for the upcoming match. For the remaining games, he and Jordan (Gil) are essential. I’m hoping Emil Benny gets better too,” he added.
