NorthEast United FC suffered their second loss on a trot in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 after going down 2-0 against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. The result keeps the Highlanders in ninth spot with 11 points from as many matches.

After the match, NorthEast head coach Robert Jarni summed up the performance and said, “Chennaiyin were the better team on the night. We were unsure in our approach today. We were too defensive today and it’s easier to play against a defensive team than an attacking team. We didn’t play with the aggression. That was what we missed in today’s game.”

Rafael Crivellaro scored the first goal of the match with a brilliant long-range strike. Referring to it as the turning point, Jarni stated, “The first goal was fantastic. Crivellaro saw the goalkeeper off the line and took a good shot. It changed the game.”

Pressed for an assessment of new signing Andrew Keogh, the Croat opined, “He played in Saudi Arabia recently and told us he was ready to play 90 minutes. He didn’t have any problems today. Considering he came only in the morning after a long flight, I think he had a good game. He didn’t see too much of the ball in the attacking third so it’s hard to talk about his performance. But he coped very well and worked hard.”

The result extends the Highlanders’ winless run to seven. Addressing the issue, Jarni remarked, “I think we have been unlucky but these things happen in football. Some of the matches, we didn’t deserve to lose, but it’s a part of football. We can’t dwell in the past and we have to look forward.”

Read the Match Report here.