Hyderabad FC gave a good account of themselves against Bengaluru FC in their 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) match at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday. However, despite being the better side on the night they failed to score as the match ended in a goalless draw. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez said he thought his team deserved to win. "I think that we deserved the three points, but in general it was a very equal game, maybe with more chances for Hyderabad, but in general it was a game with not so many chances. For me, it's not unfair, but if one team deserved to win it was Hyderabad.”

Hyderabad were set back by injuries to two of their key players Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre, and Marquez admitted that did hold them back a little in the second half. 

"I know Joel Chianese suffered an ankle injury and Lluis has a muscle issue. The injury of Lluis is more serious than Joel’s. Yes [the injuries did make things difficult], but this is football. This is the reason we do not have only 11 players in the squad. During the season, we will have injury problems, and now we have two players fewer for the next game. Let's see if Joel arrives or not, but, for sure we will put on 11 players again,” he said.

Indian defender Chinglensana Singh had a terrific outing for Hyderabad and was rightly chosen Hero of the Match. Commenting on his defence’s performance on the night, Marquez said: "We know the quality of Chinglensana, Ashish Rai and Akash Mishra. I am not too surprised because I see how they train everyday. The best thing for Hyderabad in the last two games is the personality of the players. They are not scared and this is the reason I am very happy with my players”.

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

Meanwhile, Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat, despite not having tasted a victory in their two matches so far, was satisfied that his team was improving with every match.

“It’s clear that we are still not ready and not in the physical condition that we should be in for a normal season, but every week we are training and every week we will get better. I am sure that the team was better than it was in the last game and I’m sure that in the next game we will be better than today,” he said.

Bengaluru FC lacked creative touch before Dimas Delgado came on as a substitute early in the second half and the midfielder’s arrival breathed some life into Cuadrat’s side. The head coach praised Delgado for being up to the mark. “When we play without Dimas it’s a different team. Dimas is our key player for creativity,” he said.

“We know that when the game is going on, the opponents are going to get tired and the spaces will be there. We had a few chances, so I think we were close to making it 1-0,” he added.

Watch Carles Cuadrat’s Post-Match Press conference here: