NorthEast United FC secured a 3-1 win over Odisha FC in Match 93 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Sunday. Goals from Luis Machado (two) and Deshorn Brown (one) in the first half ensured that the Highlanders went home with the three points.

At the post-match press conference, interim head coach Khalid Jamil though admitted that the match was tough and his team had to work hard for the win. "It was a very difficult game. We needed to win and our aim was to maintain our concentration from the first minute to the final minute of the game. The boys worked very hard and we deserved to get the three points. After the first half, we only wanted to score another goal and control the game,” he said.

Odisha FC pulled one back just before the halftime break and looked threatening for the entirety of the second half. Jamil commended the performance of the Odisha FC players as well and said that his team’s goals were the difference in the match. "They are a good team. They have good players. They worked very hard. But we also worked very hard. We scored three goals, that's why we got the three points," said the interim head coach.

Watch Khalid Jamil's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, Odisha interim head coach Gerald Peyton justified his decision not to start their highest goal-scorer this season, Diego Mauricio. "I wanted to rest Mauricio because we play FC Goa and then Mumbai City. That's why I wanted to play him only for 45 minutes, keep him fresh. I did not want to risk an injury because he is one of our best players,” he said.

Sharing his thoughts on the match, the interim head coach said, “We got the formation wrong in the first half and when we corrected it, we were in command for most of the second half. Our chances were not as clear cut as NorthEast United FC’s. They scored three goals and we scored one. Our chances were not as good as theirs.”

Peyton now hopes that his team takes the confidence from their second-half showing into their next match against FC Goa. “We did not play [well] or get on the ball in the first half but in the second half we dictated the game. And we will take that momentum into the FC Goa game. I want to keep using the ball properly and score goals,” he said.

Watch Gerald Peyton's Post-Match Press conference here: