Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto expressed his happiness after his side staged a great comeback to play out a 2-2 draw against NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

In the 32nd minute, Parthib Gogoi's spectacular strike from outside the box broke the deadlock for the Highlanders, who later doubled their lead with an Alex Saji own goal. Despite falling behind, Hyderabad FC staged a comeback with Makan Chothe's header in the 70th minute. Captain Joao Victor then sealed the draw with a goal, showcasing resilience and turning the tide in the game.

The young talents of Hyderabad FC have consistently impressed, displaying promise, fighting spirit, and commitment, earning praise from coach Singto for their hard work in achieving positive outcomes.

“I think it’s a great comeback, and it will be remembered for a long time for these young boys. Today, I am not really happy with the first-half performance, especially where we lost lots of balls and couldn’t get control. But in the second half, we improved upon it, and the accuracy of having the ball and passing the ball increased,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“What pleases me more is that we have six or seven shots on target; usually we've got three or four. So, in terms of creating chances and shots on target, we’ve improved. Hopefully, we keep improving from here,” he added.

Singto expressed dissatisfaction with the way his team conceded the goal in the second half. The head coach of Hyderabad FC acknowledged the challenges his players faced in dealing with the physicality of the opposition. However, he believes that his players should have handled the situation more effectively.

“I was very stressed after the first half because we conceded the goal from the set-piece, which we have been trying to improve upon. But it’s difficult to deal with tall-height NorthEast United FC players during this situation who have the strength and experience,” he stated.

“After the Bengaluru FC game, I think we deserve a point. I’m very happy, especially for the players, because these young boys deserved at least a point at home,” Singto commented, applauding his players’ performances.

Singto seemed very happy with the point and asserted that the result was nothing short of a win for them. While quizzed about his instructions to his players at the half-time break and his overall takeaway from the game, he said, “The focus in the second half was just to stick to the basics, do the right things, keep the ball better, and counter at the right time. Because NorthEast United FC are defensively strong.”

“Goals give you points, and goals give you wins, but today it (the result) is no less than a win for us,” he continued.

Singto shared insights on not substituting players like Ramhlunchhunga and Abdul Rabeeh, who were feeling tired after playing consecutive games.

He opined, “The reality is that we don’t have much bench strength, so we needed to rely on players like Ramhlunchhunga and Abdul Rabeeh, who have been playing games regularly.”

Related tags:

Hyderabad FCNorthEast United FC2023-2024 Thangboi Singto