Mikael Stahre was seething at full-time after his Kerala Blasters played brilliantly but lost 1-3 to arch-rivals Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League match at a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi on Friday.
"I'm extremely disappointed," said the Swede in his post-match interaction. "We were playing in a full stadium, in an absolutely electric atmosphere. Sometimes you make mistakes, but these kinds of huge errors..." Stahre sounded self-critical.
He was referring to the two costly errors that cost his side a precious point or perhaps the chance to win it with a late flourish. First, it was seasoned centre-back Pritam Kotal who gave away the ball, allowing Jorge Pereyra Diaz to chip in the opener in the 8th minute. Then, with the score tied at 1-1, young goalkeeper Som Kumar casually handled a cross and allowed substitute Edgar Ortega to score.
Stahre was impressed by his side's resilience despite trailing twice. "We went for it; we were getting closer and closer. But this is football." After the adrenaline rush, the Blasters tactician calmed down. He said though the blunders were individual, it was a collective failure. "It is really important for me not to throw anyone under the bus. We are a team; we have to support each other. I hope the yellow family is also supporting us," Stahre said.
To his young goalkeeper Som, who was flying high after making a game-saving intervention in the previous round against Mohammedan SC but seemed crestfallen tonight, Stahre had these words: "For a second, he had a lack of concentration. But in life, you have setbacks, be it in your profession or your personal life. I hope he learns in the long term."