League leaders Mumbai City FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Chennaiyin FC in Match 71 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Monday. A spot-kick by Esmael Goncalves restored parity for the Marina Machans in the second half after Bartholomew Ogbeche gave the Islanders the lead in the 21st minute. At the post-match press conference, Chennaiyin head coach Csaba Laszlo was happy with the point in the absence of key players like Rafael Crivellaro and Anirudh Thapa.

“At the end of the day, we must be satisfied with one point. This was a very important point although we came for the three points. We fielded a very offensive team on the pitch, with two strikers. I was pushing the team to score goals. I think the point was deserved but it could have been more.

“With Rafa and Thapa out, we have to rebuild our tactics completely. We do not have a full week to train as well. For the players, it’s not easy as well. I know my team and I know that if we want to win games, we need to have more legs in the midfield. With the players that I have, I need to make a winning team,” Laszlo said.

The side have replaced the injured Crivellaro with Spanish midfielder Manuel Lanzarote and the Chennaiyin head coach hopes his imminent arrival changes their fortunes. “We have a decent defence and holding midfield but we lack creativity in the attacking third. After the arrival of Lanza, I hope he can give us the push that we need, especially in the final third. Then we can be more dangerous,” he said.

Watch Csaba Laszlo's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, Islanders head coach Sergio Lobera was disappointed with the result and with the way his team gave away the two points after managing the game well. “I am disappointed with the result. My players have to be careful. They played a very good game and we managed the game very well. But when you give away two points after playing so well, obviously, I am not happy,” he said after the game.

Ahmed Jahouh committed a foul in Mumbai City’s penalty box to give away the penalty. Lobera believes that his Moroccan midfielder is prone to bookings given his high defensive work rate but should avoid such errors keeping his experience in mind. “Jahouh’s numbers in defence speaks [a great deal] about this situation. He needs to take some risks because they [Chennaiyin] work a lot without the ball. But with his experience, maybe it is better to avoid such situations,” said Lobera.

Watch Sergio Lobera's Post-Match Press conference here: