Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle was delighted with his team’s character as they came from behind to beat Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

In a crucial match for both teams' playoff aspirations, Jamshedpur FC initially took the lead with Rei Tachikawa's first-half goal. However, Chennaiyin FC staged a remarkable comeback in the second half, scoring through Rafael Crivellaro and Rahim Ali to seize control of the game. Despite both teams having opportunities to score further, Chennaiyin FC managed to hold on for the victory.

This win kept Chennaiyin FC's playoff hopes alive as they climbed to the sixth position in the standings, marking their third win in the last four games. Conversely, Jamshedpur FC's tenth defeat of the season dashed their playoff dreams as they were knocked out of contention.

“We never lost the belief. I spoke to them at half-time, to remain claim and focused. You know how hard we press. If you see that tonight, it would be easy in those conditions to think, ‘Oh, I'll just stay off the ball’. We don't play like that. We go after teams.. We go to win games. We have the least draws in the league. And because my intent and my mentality while building teams is to play with the intent to win,” Coyle stated in the post-match press conference.  

“You are going to lose games because the intent is to try to go and win. I dont want a team where the intent is sitting there, trying to keep somebody tight and try to sneak a goal. That’s not how we play. And I am pleased for the fans. They were outstanding tonight again. It’s nice to reward them and put a smile on their faces (while they are) leaving again. I sense some optimism because we have two big games ahead of us. We know it’s in our own hands, but we have got to replicate those performances that we had against Odisha FC, Mohun Bagan SG. Tonight the character and even the quality, that’s what we need to replicate again,” he added. 

Chennaiyin FC's triumph over Jamshedpur FC marked their second consecutive comeback victory, following their earlier win against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Kolkata despite conceding first.

Although Chennaiyin FC managed to take the lead against Jamshedpur FC, there were instances in the second half where Jamshedpur FC threatened to equalize. The visitors maintained greater possession throughout the game and unleashed a total of 14 shots, compared to Chennaiyin FC's 10, albeit with nine of them off target. Coach Coyle expressed satisfaction with his team's resilience in staging comebacks but also acknowledged the need for improvement in certain areas.

“Tonight, again coming from behind, against a very good side, to show those characteristics, that desire (was pleasing). You can see how strong we looked in the second half. We should have added to our score if truth be told. We gave a dangerous free-kick a bit later on when there was no need and that’s the little bit where we need to do better. When you are leading in an end-to-end game, you need to do better.. We have to have better game management,” he explained. 

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Jamshedpur FCChennaiyin FC2023-2024