Bengaluru FC’s top-four ambitions took a hit after their 2-1 defeat to Hyderabad FC at the Athletic Stadium in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). BFC Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli was disappointed with the result, which puts his side six points behind table-toppers Hyderabad FC.

Goals by Javier Siviero and Joao Victor in the first half put HFC into the lead. Even though Sunil Chhetri got a goal back for Bengaluru FC in the 87th minute, it was not enough to overturn the result.

Match Report: Sunil Chhetri’s 50th Hero ISL goal goes in vain as Hyderabad FC trump Bengaluru FC

Marco Pezzaiuoli addressed the media after the game. Here are some excerpts from his press conference:

It is your first defeat in two months. What is your assessment of the result?

I think we need to really recognize why we lost. We forgot today in the first half why we came here. I think this best description was the second goal, we slept defensively and conceded. I think that is also what happened in the first half, the basics of football we missed in the first half especially, winning duels, making effort in your position, playing football and creating chances and that's what we didn't do in the first half. But in the second half, we did very well and we created one nice chance and also one nice goal but, we created chances, not in 100% focus and concentration the ball came a lot in the box, but not on the right man sometimes on the goalkeeper or sometimes on the defender. We lost a game today in the first half.

Was the lack of shots on target the issue or was the plan wrong?

No, the lack of shots on target was clear. We lost the focus in the first half, as I mentioned before the free-kick we slept defensively and we didn't win the duels. We were not focused or concentrated, that's why we didn't create a lot of chances in the first half, but in the second half, I think the team tried to make it better and tried to play football. If we played like this from the beginning I think we do not lose today

Do you consider this loss as a minor blip in your season?

I think we were on a nice run. Sometimes, you lose a game but the important thing is analyzing the match quickly, putting it to the side, and coming back to the basics. Then we are prepared for Odisha FC. We want to be in the top four like a few teams so, we cannot stay for a long time and cry but, we should analyze why it happened and then look forward.

Yaya Banana made his debut tonight. What did you make of his performance?

It was an assured performance. You see his experience, how calm he is on the ball. I thought to bring a tall player on for set-pieces but we didn't have many set-pieces after he went inside. But it was okay for the first game and two days of training.

Sunil Chhetri has scored 50 goals in the Hero ISL. What are your thoughts on this landmark?

Congratulations to him. It shows his personality, quality, and why he is here. He is not only the top scorer, but he is also a person who wants to win everything and that's why he became a big star. We wish that he scores more goals and has more success in the future as it is not finished right now.