ISL 2020-21: Regret and relief in equal measure for Hyderabad and Goa respectively

Hyderabad FC head coach Manuel Marquez has taken the blame for his side’s third straight defeat in the Indian Super League (ISL) last night against FC Goa. The Nizams were leading 1-0 with just three minutes of regulation time left when Ishan Pandita equalised. It was going to get even worse for them soon though, as Igor Angulo popped up with a stoppage time winner.

To his credit, the Spaniard’s post match comments are a refreshing change from the usual blame game that coaches and managers tend to engage in after a disappointing result like that. He blamed his own decision of making attacking changes at a time in the game when they probably should have shut shop.

https://twitter.com/HydFCOfficial/status/1344537834682605569

“It is a game that we deserved to win. When we scored, we totally controlled the game. But I got the last substitution totally wrong and we lost control of the game and they scored again. Two shots on target, two goals. Maybe it is bad luck but these things happen. We didn't deserve to lose,” he said while reflecting on the match.

The former Las Palmas coach was happy with the intent shown by his boys though and felt they did everything in their capacity. “I am very happy with the attitude of the team and players. I am not happy with me and the staff, we lost the game from the bench because of the substitutions. No excuses,” he said begrudgingly.

https://twitter.com/IndSuperLeague/status/1344354688532054016

FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando on the other hand feels that his side needs to start games better. The Gaurs managed to pull off a comeback on the night but were extremely passive for long stretches in the match. “We have to grow up during the games. It is necessary to start the games with more personality and more character and not react only after going down by a goal,” the Spaniard pointed out.

He was also effusive in his praise of super-sub Ishan Pandita who scored seconds after coming on but feels he needs to improve further to become a consistent fixture in the side. “Ishan is a young player. He needs to work and improve a lot. Today was a good moment and he had a good opportunity. The most important thing is to remain calm and keep working every day in training,” he concluded.