Hyderabad FC crashed out of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20's top four race after a 2-1 loss to Odisha FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Hyderabad drew first blood after Marcelo Pereira scored early, but it all went downhill for the hosts from there on, as they failed to score a penalty and saw debutant Dimple Bhagat being sent off. Aridane Santana scored both of Odisha's goals, the second one from a penalty.

Speaking at an exclusive post-match interview with indiansuperleague.com, Hyderabad assistant coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo earmarked the two penalties as the key moments of the match and said, “We conceded the penalty and missed the penalty. We created so many chances as well, especially towards the end. It was a bad day in office.”

On his team’s overall performance, Wadoo commented, “I think we are a more balanced side now. I think the boys try to wait for the correct moment to attack and they did that today, especially in the second half. That is what I have been training in the past few sessions. I am going to stress that more in the coming sessions and hopefully we can convert more chances.”

Hyderabad have the leakiest defence this season, having conceded 31 goals. Asked about the issue with the backline, Wadoo opined, “Well, there was nothing wrong with the defence today. If you look at today’s game, Odisha didn’t create too many chances. The first goal came from nowhere while the second was a penalty. But yes, the defence has been a worry for us from the beginning of the season. But, I’m sure in the coming days we will see the team making fewer mistakes.”

On the team’s goals for the remainder of the season, he said, “Everyone knows we cannot be in the top four. They all know they must play for their pride. The players are giving their best. I am very happy with their efforts, let’s see what the future holds.”

“We owe the fans a lot. Despite this season, they came in numbers to support us. They have been fantastic from the stands and the social media. Unfortunately, we could not give them much this season. Hopefully, in the coming matches we can give something back to them,” he added.

Read the Match Report here.