Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis Dilmperis rued missed chances from his attacking players as the Shers went down 1-2 to Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Punjab FC have now won just one of their last 11 league games which has seen them slip further adrift in the race for the playoffs and the loss to Chennaiyin FC was particularly damaging for their hopes.

"I think we were very active in the second half, with a lot of quick actions and quick decisions. We brought the game to the spot that we wanted to bring it," he said during the post-match press conference.

"This is what we were trying to do. We knew that the full-backs of Chennaiyin FC would have issues because they were not their regular players. So, we wanted to go one vs one there, and we took advantage of this. We serviced the ball in. We managed to score one goal. But at the same time, I still remember five chances lost from Luka and a couple from Giakoumakis and also Pulga. Even after the 2-1 scoreline, we have three chances for scoring," he added.

Match Report: Chennaiyin FC 2-1 Punjab FC

The coach emphasized the importance of starting the game with higher motivation, as the team's initial slow pace allowed the opposition to maintain a compact defence.

"From the beginning, we were the team that was supposed to have the bigger motivation for this game. We were trying to qualify. Our game was really slow and we never found except two chances with Filip. We never found Chennaiyin FC's defence not compact. Most of the time we went slow and they managed to stay compact," he emphasized.

He also mentioned the promising impact of young players like Muhammed Suhail, referring to them as future assets for the team.

"Suhail and the other young boys are grapefruit trees, we will have grapefruits next season," the coach said.

Regarding player injuries, he provided an update on Filip Mrzljak, who was experiencing calf discomfort, and also indicated a need for further evaluation.

"Suddenly he complained that his calf bothers him. I don't know if it's the old injury or it's new. But He said that someone kicked him. We'll see. We will re-evaluate tomorrow," Dilmperis stated.

And finally, the head coach spoke about the team's remaining chances to finish in the top six this season.

"Now it's less, we had to win today. If we had drawn this game, then maybe we had chances. But now it's really tough, it's hard, but for our integrity and for our ego we will try to win the remaining four games," he concluded.