Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto expressed faith in his youngsters after they suffered their 13th loss of the season at home against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Although the home team enjoyed more possession on the pitch, it was the Shers who took home all three points in Hyderabad. Captain Luka Majcen headed home a cross from Madih Talal seconds before the half-time whistle to take his team into the second half with a goal’s lead. In the 56th minute of the match, Talal volleyed the ball from the edge of the box to double the lead for his team. Although Singto’s men tried to get back in the game, Punjab FC managed to maintain their lead till the final whistle, ending the match 2-0.

Hyderabad FC took to the pitch, having recently experienced a 2-1 defeat against Bengaluru FC on Saturday. With only a gap of two days separating their two fixtures, the head coach believes fatigue of the players had a significant role to play in the result. 

“Yes, I think that (fatigue) was one big reason. Apart from the Bengaluru FC match, I think, the maximum number of players that would be playing the four to five 90 minutes consecutively. So it was bound to happen. You know, we didn't rotate much in terms of the young players coming in. We had some younger players coming in, but yeah, in that situation, it was not right to just put them,” stated Singto in the post-match press conference. 

Hyderabad FC have struggled defensively this season, conceding 31 goals in 17 games. The team are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and are the only side in the league yet to do so.  

Speaking about the first goal his side conceded, Singto said, “I think controlling the mind and making better decisions in the defensive third (was needed). The first goal we conceded was, maybe, could have defended better. Saying that, the boys have given all they have. And today was not a (good) day for us.”

He added, “Playing against three foreign players with Majcen, and Jordan Gil and Talal, it wasn't going to be easy. I think we conceded at the last minute of the first half. If it was 0-0, maybe it would have been a different story. Saying that, I think for the young boys, it's a learning process and hopefully they learn more from here.”

Hyderabad FC had nearly 60 percent ball possession and attempted 10 shots, surpassing Punjab FC's eight attempts. Despite the scoreline not fully reflecting the impressive effort from Singto's men, he expressed satisfaction with his players' performance.

“I think the young boys play, I would say, encouraging football. I can't say that, we are very, very good, but we are good in most of the moments. So what we do from here is that we keep on maintaining that standard in terms of how we want to play, because technically we have some good players and youngsters like today Aaren (D’Silva) coming in and Jeremy (Zohminghlua) again coming in, making a little bit of difference,” shared Singto.

Hyderabad FC host NorthEast United FC on Monday before traveling to Chennai to play Chennaiyin FC on March 9, Saturday. Singto, who is actively seeking Hyderabad FC's first win in the league this season, has directed his focus towards enhancing his team's performance by the upcoming matches.

Highlighting his scope of improvement for the upcoming matches, the 49-year-old said, “I think we have to manage the game better in terms of quality. It's not that they don't try, but we can't have, up and down moments in the game. If we want to win matches, we have to be always on our toes.”

“Going forward, that's what we have to do, try to score goals by attacking more or maybe taking more shots,” he signed off.

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Hyderabad FCWilmar Jordan GilPunjab FC2023-2024 Thangboi SingtoLuka MajcenMadih Talal