Chima Okorie reserved many words of praise for Shyam Thapa's young side from Kolkata, and said that the day was all about them, despite them ending up on the losing side...The dexterity and the skills of the youthful Mohun Bagan SAIL football academy team floored former star striker and New Delhi heroes coach Cheema Okerie in today's second game of the All India Governor's gold cup tournament played at the Paljor stadium here.
Despite a win against the Mohun Bagan SAIL through a tie breaker in the pre-quarter final match today, Okerie, instead of celebrating the victory with his team, rushed to where his opponents were and was seen amidst them consoling and appreciating the way they played and put up a fight.
Pointing to the young team, Okerie said: “Everything today is about these kids. I'm so impressed by their maturity. This is the team. They were unlucky not to have won but they are brilliant. What you see here is the future of Indian football. I'm not happy with my team if the youngsters like these can play such a game”. When asked of his team's performance Cheema refused comment while giving a thumbs up to his opponents.
On the other hand, Mohan Bagan SAIL manager Shyam Thapa attributed to his youthful team’s inexperience for today’s loss. "My boys could not hold their lead and we could not hang on for the last 15 minutes. This is due to the inexperience of my young boys and that’s why I am focusing on participating in as many tournaments as possible", he said.
The Kolkata side will be leaving to Namchi, South Sikkim to participate in the Chief Minister’s Gold Cup.
Source:Goal.com
