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Bengaluru FC (BFC) head coach Gerard Zaragoza commended his players' offensive prowess as they came from behind twice against NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) to salvage a point at the Kanteerava Stadium. The game ended in a draw after an engaging, end-to-end battle in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash on Friday.
Alaaeddine Ajaraie continued his sparkling form, with the Moroccan forward scoring early to breach the league leaders' sturdy defence. The Blues' Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera then struck a right-footed banger from the edge of the box to level the score at 1-1 in the first half. Ajaraie restored the lead shortly after, only for Australian international Ryan Williams to equalize in the 70th minute with his first touch off the bench, capitalizing on an inch-perfect cross from Mohamed Salah. Zaragoza praised his players' fighting spirit as they twice leveled the score, extending their unbeaten record against the Highlanders to seven games at the Kanteerava--marking their longest home unbeaten streak against any opponent in the league history. "I can say that my players tried everything and fought for everything. In reality, I think that we did our best game in attack. But to win the game after conceding two goals is difficult," he said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ISL's official website. Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza was pleased with his team's second-half performance, as they absorbed NorthEast United FC's relentless pressure. The hosts regained control in the second half, with Sunil Chhetri and Ryan Williams providing stability after coming off the bench. However, Zaragoza expressed dissatisfaction with the Blues' defensive errors in the first half, which led to the two goals conceded. "I think we started well the game, and that's what I'm thinking. At the same time, two individual mistakes, not individual, I think that all defensive line and Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) and the two goals made us to lose the first half. I was not happy; I was not happy because finally we need cleansheets because of all these people," he remarked. "Now we are in a moment where it seems that we played well but not arrived well. In the second half, you see we attacked, attacked, attacked, we recovered balls, we crossed, we went inside the box. The changes were very good on the pitch, but we could not finish scoring the third goal," he continued. Zaragoza heaped praise on their faithful fanbase, who turned up in numbers once again. The Spanish head coach thanked the home fans for their undying support, who have been instrumental in Bengaluru FC's home dominance over the years. "First of all, Kanteerava helped us a lot. The people of Bengaluru are amazing. It's difficult for the other teams to win us here," Zaragoza acknowledged. The Blues remain at the top of the table with 17 points from eight matches. Moreover they remained unbeaten at home in ISL 2024-25 with four wins and a draw. "For me, the most important thing is that the first four games we took ten points, and we're at the top. The second four games we take seven points and we are top of the table," Zaragoza signed off, reflecting on the significance of having a strong start in the ongoing season. (ANI)
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