Head coach Clifford Miranda of the Super Cup winner Odisha FC has said that the victory belongs to the players as without them the victory was not possible.
"This victory is all down to the players, it would not have been possible without them," Miranda said, according to aiff.com. "The way they responded to the tactics was simply fantastic. They just did everything that we asked of them. Even in the final, where we asked them to change the way they play, with just one day of training, it was just amazing how they responded and came up with the goods," he added. Miranda felt happy for the club. "I am so happy, I can't begin to describe the feeling. This is the first trophy for the club, and I hope there will be many more to come. This club deserves this trophy, the amount of work that has gone into building this team, every step of the way, makes this moment all the more special," ," Miranda said. Remembering his first win as a coach with Goa FC, he said, "I had won the Goa league with the FC Goa reserves, which was my first trophy as a coach, but this win is the first for me at the national level, and I can't describe how happy I am. It's a wonderful moment, for the club, its fans, the players and staff, for myself and my family." After winning one more match, Odisha would make it to the AFC Cup next year which no one had anticipated before. "It's a brilliant prospect for this club. We have to win one more match and we can play in Asia, which will be brilliant for everyone. It would mean a lot for everyone associated with the club to be able to compete at that level," he said. Thanking the Odisha government for the facilities, Marinda said, "Step by step, the club has built on a solid foundation in Bhubaneswar. The Odisha Government has helped a lot in terms of providing great infrastructure and training facilities. I believe they are the best in India. It's not just football, but the state is supporting so many different sports like hockey as well." "That, along with the step by step building of the team over the last year, has helped us a long way," he said. "But this club still has a long way to go. Our youth development needs to be more robust, we need to improve our scouting as well. If we concentrate on these aspects, this club can go very far," he added. (ANI)
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