Pune FC suffered a narrow 0-1 loss to Bharat FC in the second Pune Derby of the season at the Balewadi Sports Complex on Sunday.
Speaking at the post-match Press Conference, Pune FC Asst. Coach Gift Raikhan discussed various matters.
Talking about the game, he said, “Frankly speaking, I am happy with the way the boys played. They gave their level best. Bharat FC is a good and a strong team. We had a plan but it didn’t click the way we wanted it.”
Speaking about the strategy going into the second half, Coach Raikhan said, “We wanted to attack from the flanks considering the fact that Bharat FC have two tall central defenders. So we put on Nikhil Kadam and Prakash Thorat in the second half. Unfortunately Prakash was injured and it was a big blow for us, because I was expecting him to create chances from the left flank.”
He further added, “As a coach, I have to give chances to my players. We have a talented squad and we need to give them confidence to perform. Sometimes they may shine and sometimes they may falter. Yes, we were hit hard by the last minute penalty. But that is football. The players will be down but we will be working hard from tomorrow for the last three away games.”
