Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas hails 'superior' boys after Jamshedpur rout

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Mohun Bagan Super Giant coach Antonio Lopez Habas has hailed his player after a convincing ISL victory over Jamshedpur FC on Friday (March 1).

It was a Mariners massacre in Kolkata as they rampaged through the Jamshedpur side and registered a 3-0 victory.

Dimitri Petratos scored the opening goal within 7 minutes, and then Jason Cummings and Armando Sadiku scored after the break to complete the scoreline.

And after the victory, Habas was in an ecstatic mood, and echoed about the progression and the cohesion of the team.

"Evidently, the team has had a fantastic progression, until now. I congratulate my players, for their performance (tonight), for their sacrifice. This is the most important thing. And above all, the cohesion of the team is fantastic. This is the way for getting an important target," Habas said in the post-match press conference.

"Our team was absolutely superior and deserved the score of 3-0," he added.

Manvir Singh also had an outstanding game on the night. He registered two assists and could have had his third but a deflection took the accolades away from him.

Full of praise for Singh, the Spanish tactician shared, "He (Singh) was the director, right. And that is a fantastic performance from Manvir, and the rest of the team also. I am convinced that he can be the best player in India, my opinion. I said that long time ago, now it's coming, which is good news for Mohun Bagan SG, for the technical staff also."

Proud of his versatility up front, Habas continued, "I only control his position in my club. And he can play in both sides. In the first moments of his career, he played as a striker. But I think that he can play in any position he wants because he is a good professional."

Finnish midfielder Joni Kauko, who had parted ways with Mohun Bagan SG in July 2023, made an surprise return to Kolkata in February 2024. With his arrival, the midfield of Habas' side seem to have been injected with an elixir. In the five appearances since his return, Kauko has created six goal-scoring chances while assisting thrice.

"Evidently. (He is a) good player. Joni got to be patient because this is one year, (when he had) no play in competitions, or professional football. We have to be putting in the minutes. Maybe one match (he) can play 65 minutes and in another, he can play 75 minutes. And we need him," the Mohun Bagan coach concluded.

The win takes the Green and Maroon brigade within two points of Odisha FC at the summit. They are expected to face arch-rivals East Bengal in the next match but the Kolkata Derby is facing fresh issues and may be cancelled.