Kolkata: Age has never been a problem when quality is present in abundance. When Dudu Omagbemi returned to the Red and Golds midway into the season, many had questioned his form because of his long lay-off from the game.
But he has answered all his critics in style, with stellar performances which saw him net a total of seven spectacular goals in his last four outings. The 32-year-old, who has put an end to East Bengal’s goal-scoring problems felt that he is fitter than many young footballers in the country.
“Who said I’m old? I’m just 32. In fact I’m fitter than the U-19 guys playing here,” he said, in an exclusive chat with SportsCrunch after the team’s training session on Wednesday.
He further added, “They are good. But I look more fitter because I train more. They are good quality players, all U-19 players. All they need is experience. I’m happy to play with them.”
When asked about that header that fetched his team a point in their 2-2 draw against Shillong Lajong on Monday, he said, “I have no idea about the goal. I haven’t seen it myself.”
Stressing that his focus is on the match against NEROCA at home, the Nigerian said, “We are confident and we will be going all out tomorrow. Let’s hope for the best.”
Also one of East Bengal’s key players, Syrian recruit Mahmoud Al-Amna felt that they still have a, “half-chance” in the race to the title when they take on NEROCA FC at home on Thursday.
“It is our last match tomorrow and we still have half-chance. This is football and anything can happen. We have fought till here and are focused on our match,” he said, in his interaction with the reporters after the training session on Wednesday.
Reflecting upon their 2-2 draw at Shillong despite leading at the half-time mark, Amna once again highlighted the unpredictability of the game saying that they still stand a chance, which might not be as good as other teams.
“Look, we had things in our control in Shillong. But this is football. We had a tough game there. Still we have a half-chance, not like the other teams but there is a chance. We would fight till the last minute in this league.”
He also stressed that they wouldn’t have the other matches (which would be held simultaneously) in mind.
“Look, we are thinking about this game because if we think about other matches and then lose here, then we get nothing. We are thinking about a good result and looking to end season on a high.”