Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky is delighted to see how his players reacted in the second half to seal a 2-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

It was an end-to-end encounter from the offset, but however, the Marina Machans had the more clear-cut chances in the opening half through Rafael Crivellaro, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Connor Shields, and Rahim Ali. Goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa made a couple of key saves and Left-back Akash Mishra kept his side in the game with a goal-line save at the halftime stroke.

Mumbai City FC came stronger in the second half, but Lallianzuala Chhangte failed to put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot. Super-sub Bipin Singh scored a brace to seal the three points for the Islanders. Following their victory against Chennaiyin FC, they climbed to the second spot with 31 points in 15 games.

Kratky acknowledged how Chennaiyin FC applied pressure on his side to prevent them from opening the scoresheet in the opening half. He also provides insights from the match after the game.

“Chennaiyin FC are a very good team, and they made it difficult for us, especially in the first half,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“We’re not overall happy with how we tried to play football (today). So, we tried to make a little bit of change in halftime, and it paid off. I'm very happy for the group,” he added.

Kratky emphasized the significance of securing three important points against Chennaiyin FC in the away fixture. He is pleased with how the team responded in the second half and the impact of the substitute players.

“I am very happy for the players for how they approached the second half. They didn't give up; they just kept going, and they got rewarded,” Kratky commented.

“About the substitutions, we know that we have a good squad; they (can) make an impact; this is what we're looking for. So, I'm very happy, especially for the second half and the football we played. Overall, it was a very good game for us and important three points,” he continued.

The Czech-Australian head coach had words of praise for the new signings, Iker Guarrotxena and Thaer Krouma, who joined the Islanders during the winter transfer window in place of Abdenasser El Khayati and Rostyn Griffiths. Speaking in context, he said,

“Iker Guarrotxena and Thaer Krouma came in the midseason, and they’re a very good addition to our squad. What I'm pleased with is the character of the players that we have.”

“Tiri is also fantastically linked to Krouma. He (Krouma) is a very good person and a player, and I’m very happy to have him,” Kratky concluded.