Mohun Bagan’s I-League triumph belongs to the entire Bengal football fraternity, emphasised its coach Sanjoy Sen.
“This win does not belong just to Mohun Bagan, it belongs to Kolkata and Bengal. I am sure that our victory will make football in Bengal stronger. I dedicate this trophy to all the supporters who have travelled a long distance to watch us play here,” Sen said after the title-winning 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC (BFC) here on Sunday.
“I believe that Mohun Bagan’s golden days are coming. I am sure that this title will inspire many to take Kolkata football to great heights that it was few years back. As for Bagan, we will aim for more trophies and victories,” he added.
Sen admitted to spending a few nervous moments when his side was down 1-0. “I prayed to God. I pleaded for just one chance to equalise,” he said, referring to Bello Rasaq's late equaliser.
“The players approached the entire season — and not just this encounter — with an undeniable feeling of self-belief,” Sen reckoned.
“I was always sure that my players can perform miracles. We never lost that belief,” he said.
The normally-diplomatic BFC coach Ashley Westwood launched an extraordinary defence of his team.
“Bagan have not had to work nearly as hard as us to get points. We have been let down by the rest of the league not being good enough; they did not put enough pressure on Bagan.
“You expect Dempo to beat sides, with the squad they had, but they haven’t. Sporting Goa only got going in the last five or six games. East Bengal finally made a run towards the end. Pune FC had problems — an elusive coach (Karim Bencherifa) towards the end. We don’t know where he’s gone,” Westwood said.
The Englishman came down heavily on the referee for not awarding a penalty, when his striker Robin Singh and Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul collided while going for the ball in the box.
“I hope people make the wrong decisions for the right reasons, and they do it because they get it wrong rather than it being premeditated,” he said.
Reacting to Sen’s claim that BFC underestimated Bagan by keeping Sunil Chhetri out of the starting XI, Westwood said:
“We certainly didn’t underestimate them. We needed more pace wide, which is why we selected Udanta (Kumam). I didn’t play a weak side, I played my strongest side. He (Sen) talks absolute rubbish,” Westwood said.
