Chennaiyin FC’s Hero Indian Super League 2017-18 campaign got off to an inauspicious start after the southerners found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 score-line against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. Ferran Corominas, Manuel Lanzarote and Mandar Rao Dessai, all scored in the first half for Goa before a free-kick by Inigo Calderon and a Raphael Augusto penalty reduced the margin of defeat to 3-2 in the second period.

Chennai head coach John Gregory took full responsibility for his side’s loss but insisted that they deserved a point. In all honesty, I started with the wrong formation and exposed my team a little too much so that’s something I take responsibility for. After the second half and the changes made, the performance was a lot better, even though I’m disappointed I feel we deserved a point after the outstanding show in the second half,” he told the media at the post-match press conference.

When asked to elaborate on why he got Chennai’s formation wrong in the opening period, Gregory added: “First half we played with three mid-fielders and in the second half we played a 3-4-3 and it was definitely a better performance because from the start of the second half we applied more pressure and played better football. We kept going until the end and I’m very happy with how my boys came back from a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 by putting on a good show. Once again, I take responsibility for starting with the wrong shape, but we finished really well and fought to the end and for that I’m proud.”

The Englishman also explained why Chennai’s midfield talisman Augusto wasn’t at his best on the night. “He had a couple of rough and heavy challenges during the game and received some treatment but wanted to stay on. He is a fighter! I thought he would come off a couple of times during the second half, but he kept saying ‘No, I want to carry on’ We were going to make a change before the penalty but I’m glad we didn’t. He’s had a couple of knocks in pre-season, but he is a strong boy and always wants to play. He’s a bit sore and may take some time to recover but I’m sure he’ll be there Thursday night,” Gregory said.

Gregory, however, was upbeat despite defeat after his team’s second half showing and is focused on their upcoming game against NorthEast United FC. “I must say we were a wee-bit nervous. Preparing on a training pitch is not the same as playing in front of thousands of fans at home, under the bright lights and knowing it’s on live television. Definitely, we had a few young players, [who were] slightly nervous but it’s all learning and development for them. Players such as Jerry [Lalrinzuala] and [Baoringdao] Bodo who are really young, gave their best and at the end of 90 minutes, they surely had a good exercise and got a lot to learn that will help them grow,” he said.

“As for Bodo, he’s the youngest player in Hero ISL [history], so it was undoubtedly a superb experience for him as he gets to learn so much from the 75 minutes that he played, playing under the lights in this big fixture and on TV is definitely going to be vital for his development. At the end of the day I take pleasure in how we played the latter part of the game and we now need to focus on the next game that is on Thursday,” he concluded.