Sanju Pradhan with Coach Subhash Bhowmick (Mango Peel)
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But Sikkim came up short and lost the game by two goals. Midfielder Sanju Pradhan said that it could have been a different scoreline had his teammates taken their chances.
Speaking to Goal.com he said, “The game could have gone either way. Both teams fought hard and gave their best.
“We failed to convert our chances while Manipur made the most of theirs, so they won the game.
“Manipur are a good side but we could have easily beaten them today.”
He also pointed out that a better preparation before the tournament could have avoided the disappointing draw against Uttarakhand.
“We didn’t get much time to prepare for the tournament. In the Santosh Trophy if you are not prepared well, you will struggle.
“That is why we made a few mistakes in the first game which left us much too do in the final game.”
However he still praised the effort of the players and felt that their young side will gain valuable experience from this tournament.
“All the players tried their best. We had a very young squad so I am sure we will learn from our mistakes and do well next time,” he concluded.