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Calcutta: East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil said his team was “lucky”, but “they worked hard” to win the CFL title for the eighth time in a row.
Speaking after the 2-2 draw against Mohun Bagan in Siliguri on Sunday, Khalid agreed East Bengal were lucky but the title was a reward for the hard work the players put in from the beginning of the season. 
Khalid, who made his Derby ‘debut’ on Sunday, was so tensed that he could not even watch when Mahmoud Al-Amna lined up to take the penalty. “Obviously I was tensed. I was looking in the opposite direction and turned around only when the Al-Amna’s shot hit the back of the net. I had confidence in Al-Amna, but I was very nervous,” he said. 
Khalid dedicated this victory to the fans. “This win is for the fans. The support we got has been brilliant. Here in Siliguri and back in Calcutta, fans have always been there to give us confidence,” he said. 
According to the East Bengal coach, this CFL was probably the toughest in recent times. “I think so. This year the title was decided in the last match. And that too in a Derby. I do not think it was this close in the last few years,” he said. Khalid did not blame his defence for the two goals East Bengal conceded. “I will never blame any player in particular. It was a collective mistake,” he said.
Mohun Bagan coach Shankarlal Chakraborty heaped praise on his players for a fantastic performance. “They played superb football. But we were let down by poor refereeing. In fact at times I thought we were playing against 14 and not 11,” he said.
Shankarlal said Kamo Stephane Bayi’s miss just after Ansumana Kromah made it 2-1 was the turning point of the match. 
“If he had scored that goal, the match would have been over. That miss changed the course of the match,” he said.