Super Cup 2025: Catala slams players' mentality after quarterfinal exit

The Hindu

27-04-2025

Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) head coach David Catala criticised the mentality of his players after they succumbed to a 1-2 loss against a young Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) side in their Super Cup 2025 quarterfinal match at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.
Former KBFC midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad scored the opening goal, while 20-year-old Suhail Bhat scored the eventual winner to send MBSG into the semifinal, where it will face FC Goa.
'I am disappointed because we had some expectations for this competition. We tried to change the mentality of the players, but I can see that some of them still have not changed,' Catala told the media at the post-match press conference.
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After a promising win against defending champion East Bengal in the round of 16, KBFC failed to match the quality and had a forgettable time in defence as well as in front of goal.
MBSG's young wingers, Salahudheen Adnan K and Ashique Kuruniyan, made light work of skipping past KBFC fullbacks Huidrom Naocha Singh and Hormipam Ruivah, respectively, before setting up the goals for their side.
'I thought that we were strong in defence, but then we ended up conceding two easy goals. We knew their strength and that they were going to attack us from the sides, but still we were very soft in the 1v1's and it ended up costing us the game,' Catala admitted.
In attack, Spanish striker Jesus Jimenez, who was the club's top scorer in the recently concluded Indian Super League season (11 goals), missed as many as three clear-cut chances in the second half.
He sent two close-range attempts off target in a span of three minutes before miscuing his shot into the opposition goalkeeper's gloves with the goal at his mercy, late in the game.
'We had a lot of chances to score, but we were not efficient enough. If you really are ready and concentrating 100 per cent, then we simply cannot miss these chances. Meanwhile, they (MBSG) created just two or three clear chances and scored two goals,' Catala said.
When asked if the absence of the injured Adrian Luna played a factor in the loss, Catala refused to make excuses and asserted that football is a team game, and it would not be fair to depend on just one player.
'We are a team, so it is not a matter of missing just one player. I think we were not strong enough to compete today, and this is something that we need to improve on for our upcoming season,' Catala concluded.