Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto lamented his side’s missed chances as his side played out a 1-1 draw against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Both sides entered the match in pursuit of their first win of the season. Despite numerous chances created by both Punjab FC and Hyderabad FC, finding the back of the net proved to be a challenge. The game took an exciting turn towards the end when Juan Mera scored the opening goal for the home side. Punjab FC was on the brink of securing their first victory of the season, but substitute Jonathan Moya intervened, heading home from a corner in injury time to salvage a point for Hyderabad FC.

This marked the third consecutive 1-1 draw for Hyderabad FC in the ISL this season. Prior to their away fixture in New Delhi, Singto's team had previously dropped points at home against Bengaluru FC, despite taking the lead in that match.

Singto made three changes to the starting lineup against Punjab FC, with Aaren D'silva, Petteri Pennanen, and Joe Knowles all getting a start. Reflecting on the result, Singto attributed his team's subpar performance to fatigue, as they had played just on Saturday.

"Today's game was like the weather - cloudy, sloppy from both teams," Singto remarked in the post-match press conference.

"For us as a team, just playing two days back and the travel (schedule). Forget about the travel, maybe not enough rest, so that affected the performance, I would say because there were few changes only. But that can't be an excuse because when you go onto the pitch wearing the club badge, you have to be able to give your 100 percent. Did we do that? I don't think so. But did we try? Of course we did. I think a draw is a good result for us, but today was a day where we could have taken the three points," he added.

Despite securing a point, Hyderabad FC demonstrated statistical dominance over their opponents. They held greater possession of the ball, applied pressure, but were lacking in finishing. They have scored only four goals in six games this season, tying with Jamshedpur FC for the lowest goal tally.

Singto acknowledged that the inability to convert chances was a major concern but encouraged his team to look ahead and work diligently.

"We had more shots, we had more ball possession, we had more passes and more corners, but that doesn't really help if you don't score and win games. Yes, we still need to work as a team in the final third of the pitch, where we need more creativity, where we need more finesse, where we need players to be clinical. The chances were there, if they were taken today, not only today but in the previous games, I think we have created enough chances to win games," he said.

Singto added, "Going forward, what do we do? We need to keep working in the six-yard, 18-yard box where the players just have to finish the chances we're creating. That's an area of concern for us (finishing), but we need to keep working."