Shyam Thapa was modest in victory. The Tata Football Academy (TFA) had no qualms about admitting that even a draw against East Bengal would have been “an achievement” for his team.

“This is certainly the sweetest success of my coaching career. Earlier, it used to be Nepal’s victory over India when I was Nepal’s technical director. At half-time, we were down by a goal, but I told the boys not to give up fight. I told them that a draw would a moral victory for us. They did that and a lot more. All credit to the boys, they were simply outstanding in the second half,” Thapa told The Indian Express.

He was quite surprised to see the way East Bengal crumbled under pressure. “East Bengal came to this tournament well prepared. They had extensive training at the residential camp and played a few practice matches abroad. In addition, they have a few national team players and also a couple of foreign recruits. But they were done in by the lack of combination in the midfield and mediocre fitness level,” said Thapa, himself a former East Bengal player.

He was all praise for the coaches Ranjan Chowdhury and Vijay Kumar. “They have done all the hard work. I have joined the academy late. They should get the credit.”

The team, which has almost qualified for the IFA Shield semi-final, left the city on Wednesday night to prepare at their own academy in Jamshedpur. They will return to the city on September 7. The semi-finals will be played at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan on September 8.

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