Hyderabad FC handed a 2-0 defeat to Chennaiyin FC in Match 77 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Sunday. Fran Sandaza opened the scoring for his team before Joel Chianese doubled the lead to propel his team to third on the league table.

At the post-match press conference, Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez felt that his team deserved the three points after coming close to winning in their last four draws. “We needed this win. We deserve it because in these four games, we were closer to winning than the opponent. An important thing is that they played after six days and we played after less than six days,” he said after the game.

Sandaza’s goal was his second in as many games for Hyderabad, after the Spaniard scored the equalizing goal in a 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC in their last match. Heaping praise on the striker, Marquez said, “Fran is a striker who plays at a very high level. Unfortunately, he has almost missed the entire season because of injuries. Now, he is recovering step by step, but he can be one of the best strikers in this league.”

Although the win takes them into the top four, Marquez is cautious owing to the proximity of the teams next to Hyderabad on the league table. “We are now 3rd in the table having played one game more than FC Goa and NorthEast. NorthEast is also having a fantastic season like our team. At the end of the league stage, the teams finish in the position that they deserve,” the Spaniard said.

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

Meanwhile, Chennaiyin head coach Csaba Laszlo expressed his disappointment after the loss against Hyderabad. “I am very disappointed. The first half was not fantastic for us, but even the opponents did not have many chances except the goal. In the second half, I must complement our spirit but if we don't score goals, we can never win. We nearly scored close to the goal line on three occasions,” he said.

Chennaiyin are playing without the injured duo of Anirudh Thapa and Rafael Crivellaro but the head coach does not want to use their absence as an excuse for their underwhelming attacking performances. “I don't want to hide behind the shadow of Thapa and Crivellaro. But after these two players left, our offence definitely suffered. We have created a lot of chances. We have had a lot of bad luck. We missed important chances as well as important players,” said Laszlo.

Watch Csaba Laszlo's Post-Match Press conference here: