East Bengal FC’s head coach Oscar Bruzon praised his team’s resilience and determination after their thrilling 3-2 win against Lebanese club Nejmeh SC on Friday at Bhutan’s Changlimithang Stadium.
With this victory, East Bengal advanced to the AFC Challenge League quarterfinals, marking the club’s first appearance in the knockout stage of an Asian competition in 11 years.
Reflecting on this achievement, Bruzon emphasized the mental toughness and fight his players showcased throughout the intense group stage match.
“Thank you, Bhutan, and the Bhutan Football Federation for organizing this beautiful tournament,” Bruzon began, clearly proud of his team’s performance.
“We achieved our objective, which was not just about progressing but demonstrating resilience and learning how to fight.” East Bengal’s coach described the importance of handling pressure at the highest levels. “In games of this level, you always need to know how to suffer. It’s impossible to dominate for 90 minutes, but you can learn to survive tough moments and neutralize the opponent,” he said.
Bruzon commended his players’ hard work and commitment, especially considering they had only been working with him for a few short weeks. “I’m new here, and I’ve felt the support from fans and management, which has transferred into additional strength for the players,” he noted. “Despite limited training time, the players believed in the new ideas we were bringing, which was crucial to our success.”
When asked about his message at halftime, with the game tied at 2-2, Bruzon admitted he wasn’t completely satisfied with the team’s defensive mistakes. “We conceded two unnecessary goals,” he remarked. “At halftime, I reminded them that the game is 90 minutes. I told them not to lose sight of our goal, which is always to play to win. The team understood that, and with adjustments and substitutions, we regained our composure and found the winning goal.”
As the game neared its end, Bruzon acknowledged the intensity on the sideline. “The last few minutes were difficult, as one action could have changed everything,” he said. “But we focused on protecting central areas while launching counterattacks to take advantage of our opponents’ weaknesses.”
The head coach hopes this victory will inspire East Bengal as they return to domestic competition. “Dreaming about international competition gives us a boost. We only have a couple of days to celebrate before returning to the domestic league, where we know our situation. There’s no time to relax,” he explained.
Bruzon also had a heartfelt message for East Bengal’s supporters: “The love and belief from our fans made a difference today. East Bengal is a big club, and it’s clear our supporters always believed something special could happen.”
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