Our hard work made the difference against Mumbai City FC: Hyderabad FC’s Thangboi Singto
Hyderabad FC salvaged a draw against Mumbai City FC during injury time thanks to an own goal from Tiri, breaking their losing streak this season.

Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto was pleased with his team’s performance as they held Mumbai City FC to a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai on Saturday.
Mumbai City FC managed to take the lead in the 76th minute through a Manoj Mohammad own goal. However, Hyderabad FC salvaged a draw during injury time thanks to an own goal from Tiri, breaking their losing streak. This draw marked Hyderabad FC's first points of the season, providing a much-needed boost to the team's morale.
Singto expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance, despite the fact that they were playing against Mumbai City FC who were down to 10 men. Singto stressed the significance of hard work his team put in and how it paid off, securing a valuable point in this match.
"Well in football, for the fans and for the public, and football lovers, it's (would have been) said, (we should have got a victory) playing against ten men. You know why? But we've seen umpteen times that playing men against ten is not easy at all. And with a team like Mumbai City FC, former (League Shield) champions and with players all around with technical abilities, it was going to be tough. Well, today I think it would have been heartbreaking if we didn't garner a point at least because it would have been a fourth loss. But big, big cheers and credit to the players. They dug in, they stuck in, they kept on going and going. We were telling the boys that hard work pays off. And today that made the difference," he stated in the post-match press conference.
Hyderabad FC had suffered defeats in all of their first three matches, and notably, these losses were all closely contested, with Singto's side falling short by just a single goal in each game. Prior to their game against Mumbai City FC, their most recent goal was scored in the opening match against East Bengal FC. While addressing their difficulties in front of goal, Singto remained optimistic that his team will improve as the season unfolds.
"We are creating chances definitely in the final third. But again, I think we need to be more clinical in terms of putting the ball in the net. I keep on saying that. We had more than ten shots, but with the way we are sometimes and the one shot we had on target, good shot, that was a goal. I think that should cheer up the boys again. They are professionals I can understand but they know that however much better you play, however much possession you have, if you don't put the ball in the net, then you don't win games."
The 49-year-old concluded with some optimism as he added, "Going forward, we are a bit relaxed. It’s a little breather for us. I know it's one point for some teams, but for us, hopefully this is just a stepping (stone) going forward."