Football
ISL: "The squad was made by the board," says SC East Bengal Head Coach Manuel Diaz
SC East Bengal held Hyderabad FC to a one-all draw
ISL: "The squad was made by the board," says Hyderabad FC Head Coach Manuel Diaz
SC East Bengal continued with their winless streak in the Indian Super League 2021-22. The Kolkata giants held Hyderabad FC in a 1-1 stalemate.
Hyderabad FC looked like a shadow of themselves going into the game. They maintained the numerical advantages but failed to make it to three points. SC East Bengal opened the scoring in the 20th minute from a freekick by Amir Dervisevic. Chinglensana fouled Hnamte right outside the box, giving away the freekick and thus the goal against his team.
The Red and Gold Brigade could have made it two soon enough through Chima but the ball went wide. However, 15 minutes later, Aniket Jadhav set up Bartholomew Ogbeche for an equalizer. The second half saw a lot of goalmouth action but there were no changes in the scoreboard. SC East Bengal Head coach Manuel Diaz looked highly content with his team's performance as he spoke to the media after the draw against Hyderabad FC.
On facing Hyderabad FC
After losing to Chennaiyin FC narrowly on their opening encounter, HFC are currently on a six-game unbeaten run. Keeping the Hyderabad FC attack at bay was a tough job for SCEB defenders. But they seem to have done it well. Speaking of Hyderabad FC, the coach said, "Hyderabad FC were in very good shape today as they are a very good team. But we did a very good job. We scored one goal, we had a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and we hit the crossbar. So, I'm happy with the performance of the team."
On his team's performance
SCEB seemed to have caught on momentum after the first goal. They kept on registering shots but they were vain. On being asked of the same, the coach asserted, "We should have been 2-0 up but they scored with a cross."
Holding a side like Hyderabad FC without players like Antonio Perosevic and Franjo Prce is a big task. Speaking on the squad and how his team fared, the coach was seen saying, "The players performed well in a tough match. The squad was made by the board. We didn't take any decisions with respect to the squad. Every day we are working hard to improve our level."
Adding to that he displayed his content with the result as he said, "We have had four draws in similar circumstances like today. It was a good job from the players today. In this match, I think we made fewer mistakes compared to other matches."