After a draw in their previous game, Mumbai City FC returned to winning ways in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 following a 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Sunday. Vignesh Dakshinamurthy produced a stunning strike to open the scoring and Adam le Fondre added a second as the Islanders condemned Hyderabad to their first defeat of the season.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mumbai head coach Sergio Lobera expressed his happiness with the result. “I am very happy because we improved a lot compared to the last game. We created chances and we finished well. I am very happy because the team performed well,” he said.

The 43-year-old went on to elaborate how his side beat Hyderabad. “I think we managed the situations during the game very well. We knew that they are a team that is very comfortable with the ball and we needed to try and win possession of the ball. It was very important to have the ball, create chances and we managed the game well against a very good team today,” Lobera added.

Playmaker Hugo Boumous was initially named in the starting XI but was withdrawn after the warm-up. When asked for an update on his injury status, Lobera said: “Boumous has recovered from his injury. We spoke to the medical staff and it was decided that he could have played for 60 minutes but he felt some problem during the warm-up and I think it’s important to avoid risks and so we decided to change the player before the game.”

With that in mind, Lobera was also keen to stress that Mumbai aren’t just about one player. “We have a very good squad and not just one player. All the players are working really well. Players from the first XI, players from the bench and I think we don’t just depend on a few players. The most important thing is the squad, and I am very happy with the performance today,” he insisted.

Watch Sergio Lobera's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez sounded gracious in defeat after the game. “Today the quality of Mumbai was very good. They had a very good high-press, especially in the first half. We couldn’t play our normal football, our typical football, our style. I think that they deserved to win the game. We improved in the second half, especially just when they scored the second goal, our team was playing better. But Mumbai’s a very strong team and I think it’s a fair score,” he said.

The 52-year-old also spoke of learning from the game and preparing better for the upcoming encounters. “It was a good lesson for us today. But I think there are plenty of positives that we can take from the first five games. But when you win, lose or draw, you have to prepare and learn from the mistakes in the next training. For me, today we played against the favourites for the title in the regular season. Let’s see what happens in the semis,” Marquez said.

Watch Manolo Marquez's Post-Match Press conference here: