Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez credited the opponent as his side went down 2-3 against Jamshedpur FC in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.

Hyderabad FC started the game brightly and Bartholomew Ogbeche headed home the first goal for the host. But the visitors soon seized control of the game and found the equalizer through Ritwik Das. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Daniel Chima Chukwu scored two more goals in quick succession as Jamshedpur FC headed towards the half-time break with a 3-1 lead.

Eli Sabia received his marching orders in the second half, reducing Jamshedpur FC to 10 men. Joao Victor had a golden opportunity to pull a goal back from the spot kick but Jamshedpur FC keeper Vishal Yadav made a brilliant save to deny the midfielder. Ogbeche scored his second of the night from close range to reduce the deficit for Hyderabad FC.

The win helped Jamshedpur FC move up to the ninth position with 16 points from 19 games, level on points with East Bengal FC. Meanwhile, Hyderabad FC suffered their fourth defeat of the season and remained in the second spot in the Hero ISL standings. While speaking in the post-match press conference, Hyderabad FC's head coach Marquez shared his thoughts on the game and said that they lacked the final decision.

“We started the game very well. We scored the first goal but conceded three goals. I think that the team was okay even though we missed a penalty. We scored the second goal and I think we deserve the third goal but its fine. I congratulate Jamshedpur FC because they played maybe 30-35 minutes with one player less. They defended a lot. It is true that we created a lot of chances but on some days you're not right in your final decision, that's all,” Marquez added.

Having secured the second spot, Marquez gave minutes to the players who have not featured regularly this season. The Spanish coach made seven changes to his playing eleven, naming an all-Indian backline alongside handing young goalkeeper Lalbiakhlua Jongte his Hero ISL debut. The HFC head coach said that the new players, who played today, deserved their chance.

“It is difficult when you play your first game. I think most of them were very nervous but we were happy with them in the training session. They deserve this chance to play. Some of them showed their value. Other players still need time, Some of them have a very good mentality and (Abdul) Rabeeh for example has a very good mentality,”” Marquez stated.

In the reverse fixture, Hyderabad FC registered a 1-0 win over the Red Miners. Mohammad Yasir scored the solitary goal for the away team. But both teams are a completely different side right now. The Spaniard compared both the games and credited the Red Miners for the win in this fixture.

“In the last few games, they (Jamshedpur FC) have found their more or less correct team. Obviously, today they didn't play Rafael Crivellaro but I think Crivellaro gave Jamshedpur FC a lot of quality and then they can put Jay Emmanuel-Thomas behind him. They play better with them, their wingers and Chima up-front. We don't know what would happen if we would play with our main team, but today it was not easy for the JFC, even though they played 35 minutes with one player less. Jamshedpur FC won the game on merit even with ten players,” he added.” Marquez explained.

Hyderabad FC will be playing their last league game against Kerala Blasters FC next Sunday before they start preparing for the semi-finals. Marquez encouraged his side to keep training hard as they prepare for a tough fixture in Kochi.

“As usual we'll train, we’ll go to Kerala, and we’ll play and then let’s see what happens. We'll come back again to Hyderabad and we'll train. It is true that when we play the semi-finals, the opponent will arrive with one very strong last game (Qualifier) between the third (placed team) and sixth (placed team). Yes we have to train hard and keep going because if you don't train in a good way you can have problems,” Marquez concluded.

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Hyderabad FC 2020-2021Match 103,Hyderabad FC vs Jamshedpur FC