Hyderabad FC earned their first-ever win in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) on Saturday, as they beat Kerala Blasters FC 2-1 at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad. The home side went behind in the first-half but showcased exceptional character to win it in the second-half.

After the fixture, indiansuperleague.com caught up with Hyderabad striker, Marcelo Pereira who scored the winner on the nighr with a beautiful free-kick. Here are the excerpts:

Marcelo, first match in Hyderabad. They are still chanting your name. Tell us about your experience.

I’m speechless because it’s the first game at home. The team is in a difficult moment because we don’t have the whole squad available. So, I think it’s very difficult for the guys. I want to dedicate the win for the young players who gave their maximum. They showed that they can. So, I think with the confidence of the victory we can continue like this.

You are back to your goal scoring ways. Talk us through that free-kick. What was going through your mind before the free-kick.

I don’t know. I think I was trying to concentrate and think about nothing. I like taking free-kicks like this because I train a lot. It was a good opportunity and I had luck.

The fans turned out in numbers for the first-ever Hero ISL game in Hyderabad. What do you have to say for them?

Like I said, I’m speechless! I celebrated with the fans. They deserve it. I hope they come in more numbers for the next game.

From the Blasters’ end, youngster Rahul KP, who scored their only goal, shared his views on the result. Here are the excerpts:

Rahul, not the result the team would have wanted today. But what do you have to say about your team’s effort today?

The people who watched the match know. We’ve been putting in a lot of effort. There was not a lack of it. Everybody is trying so hard to get the three points. This is football. These things happen. So, we cannot blame anybody or our teammates. We just have to forget what happened and we have to look forward to the next match. We have to go one step at a time. We will be more prepared and we will come back.

Despite the result, you managed to bag a goal. Tell us about the goal.

When you lose the game, you don’t feel like you scored a goal. When it’s going to count, I will be more excited to talk about the goal. We lost. We can do much better. So, if I work hard enough and stay humble and dedicated, I’m pretty sure I will make it and help my team to go and be better.

Read the Match Report here.