"Fortunately, we got the 3 points," says Hyderabad coach Manolo Marquez

Hyderabad FC defeated Bengaluru FC for the first time in their history of the Indian Super League 2021-2022 on Wednesday. The opening and only goal of the match came quickly. Thanks to a deflected shot from Bartholomew Obegeche at the 7th minute of the first half which led to the solitary goal of the night. Even though Hyderabad dominated the first half comfortably, their second-half performance took a dip and Manolo Marquez's boys had breathed a sigh of relief when the referee blew the full-time whistle.

In the post-match press conference, the coach not only showed his satisfaction with the result but also didn't shy away from pointing out their troubled second half.

A narrow victory

Hyderabad FC was on thin ice during the entire second half due to a relentless attack from Bengaluru. The Sunil Chhetri led forward attacks were soaked up well by the likes of Rai and Mishra. But still, there were nervous moments as the lead of just a maiden goal looked too fragile to defend for an entire half. Marquez said,

"Yeah I think we scored too early, but finally we won with that goal. I think we played a very good first half with our style which we were searching for during our games. And we are very happy with our first half. In the second half, the losing team tried to find an equalizer. They attacked a lot, they are also very strong physically but finally, we got the win."

Cautiously protecting the first-half lead

The Nizams looked like two completely different teams in the two halves of the match. This change in their rhythm had raised the question of whether it was all a part of a careful plan orchestrated by the man in charge. When asked, Marquez was quick to point out a problem that all of the ISL teams have been facing since the start of the campaign,

"Yes, this is the problem, there are a lot of injured players in a lot of teams, for example, Bengaluru played without three foreigners who are injured. Now that you can play with only 4 foreigners you have to put more Indian players. We also have injuries. For example, Hali and Yasir, two very important players for us."

The gaffer added more, "I am very happy with the players who enter the team. But the likes of Danu, Pujari, Edu Garcia all returned from injuries, Ankiet too, also Souvik had his first start. obviously, it was difficult for them to be on top of their games till the last minute but fortunately, we got the three points."

The squad rotation

Hyderabad FC is often compared to be the Borussia Dortmund of the Indian Super League. They may not have a lot of marquee players but they are full of young talents who are more than ready to take on the responsibilities. And the coach's philosophy of the game goes hand in hand with the team's philosophy, giving the youngsters more chance to shine.

The gaffer kept the likes of Siverio. Pujari, Rohit Danu on the starting lineup today, he backed up his decision by saying

"We are giving chances to all the players. Today was the first game for Aaren in ISL and I am very happy for him because after seeing how he trains, he deserved this. This is more like the history of Hyderabad, playing with young players. If you win the game it is fantastic, If you don't, okay you'll have to try again. But we are very happy with the squad that we have."

The overview of the Nizam's in this match

The coach is happy with the result but not with the way they got it. He had pointed out their inability in the 2nd half time again during the press conference, when asked about his teams' all over consistency he again stated,

"In the first half obviously but we are not happy with our second-half performance. We have won the game but we are not happy with our 2nd half performance. It is like I said in the former question; you cannot play only to defend your one advantage if it is just one goal. Practically it was impossible for us to arrive at a counter-attack then. Practically we won by defending all the second half, which is very dangerous."