Match 37 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 was a real ebb-and-flow encounter that ended as a 2-2 draw between Odisha FC and NorthEast United FC. Tuesday’s clash between the two teams at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim witnessed Odisha take the lead in the 23rd minute but NorthEast struck back through Benjamin Lambot on the brink of halftime. Kwesi Appiah then put the Highlanders ahead from the penalty spot in the second half before Cole Alexander equalised for Stuart Baxter’s men in style.

The Odisha head coach, however, wasn’t a happy man. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Baxter said: “I am not satisfied. I think we have been close to picking up three points on quite a few occasions this season. We just have not had that happy ending. It's always been a sob story. So, I am not happy with the point, but I am happy with the improvements that we are making after every game.”

Alexander levelled the score for Odisha in spectacular fashion in the second half and Baxter lauded his midfield general’s performance. “Cole's performance in general was great. I think he is an infectious player, the boys love him. At times, he is a one-man pressing unit, and he can get from box to box very, very quickly so it was no surprise to me that he got on the end of that and he side-stepped the defender, put it in the bottom corner.  He is just a good player, Cole Alexander,” the 67-year-old said after Odisha earned their second point of the season.

Watch Stuart Baxter's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, NorthEast head coach Gerard Nus was also disappointed with the result. “I think we deserved the three points. I think we had a really great performance with the ball. [Based on] how we created chances, it was probably the game where we deserved to score more compared to the other games.

“This league is so competitive and once you don't pay attention or keep that kind of focus or energy at 100% then other teams will punish you. No matter who you are playing against, everybody has good players, and we knew about it. Disappointed by the result,” Nus said.

Watch Gerard Nus' Post-Match Press conference here: