Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric was pleased with the second-half performance of his of team as they went down 1-3 to Bengaluru FC in the latest fixture of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.

Sivasakthi Narayanan continued his fine run of form as he scored a brace in the first half hour of the game, while midfielder Rohit Kumar scored another one for the Blues before the end of the first half. Edwin Vanspaul struck for the away side in the second half, but Chennaiyin FC could not build on it as they slumped to their sixth defeat of the season. The win was of significant importance for Bengaluru FC, who moved up to the sixth place with 22 points, while Chennaiyin FC stay eighth with 17 points in the Hero ISL standings.

For Chennaiyin FC, it was a game of two halves. Brdaric's side looked sloppy in the opening half and struggled to contain Bengaluru FC's attack, but bounced back strongly in the second half. Football is all about what-ifs and there were many such moments for the Marina Machans in the game against Bengaluru FC. However, Brdaric highlighted the strong mentality of his players in the second half despite an upsetting result.

“The second half of the game was what we wanted to show throughout the game. That is what sets us apart from other teams, we have a good mentality, and it was encouraging to see the way we played the second half. This is how we want to approach the next games, if everybody stays together in this task, then we can win matches,” Brdaric said in the official post-match press conference.

Chennaiyin FC are now five points away from the top six and have a game in hand. With plenty team still in the race for the playoffs, Brdaric backed his side to bounce back strongly in their next game.

“We conceded three goals in the first half, but in the second half we changed our game, and I am sure in the next week you will see a good performance,” Brdaric stated.

“Everybody wants to play in the playoffs, it is a nice objective. We lost a game that we did not want to, we wanted to pick up points and chase the sixth spot without making mistakes. The mistakes and errors have lessened, it can be seen in our last few games through our key organization and structure, but we have to fight and hope to reach our targets,” he added.

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