Shanmugham Venkatesh – East Bengal’s foreigners need to respect the opponent

Indian Arrows picked their second win this season as they downed East Bengal 1-0 at the Kalyani Stadium, West Bengal on Saturday evening.

Vikram Pratap Singh scored the only goal of the game in the second half as Indian Arrows left East Bengal stunned.

“It is always a great feeling when we play against East Bengal or Mohun Bagan. We got three points today. Credit to the boys as they fought for 90 minutes.

“East Bengal played well and there is no doubt. However, some of the players need to respect the opponents, especially the foreign players,” said coach Shanmugham Venkatesh.

Indian Arrows remain rooted to the bottom of the table but Venkatesh stated that the win over the Red and Gold brigade would boost the confidence of the young Indian players.

“It’s a great opportunity for the boys. I told them to go enjoy and play good football. Three points always give you confidence. We will build on this and play well in the next matches. 

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“Physically we are not strong but we play with technique and stamina,” said Venkatesh.

The former India captain, who plied his trade for Mohun Bagan, mentioned that the Green and Maroon have a massive chance to clinch the league title this season given the kind of form they find themselves in.

“Mohun Bagan have a great chance of winning. But some other teams are also close. You cannot predict anything in the I-League. Mohun Bagan are in a good position and their confidence level is also high,” signed off Venkatesh.