Chennaiyin FC head coach Thomas Brdaric rued his side's mistakes that cost them the game as they went down to Odisha FC in a late drama in matchweek 8 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 at the Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday.

The Marina Machans mounted a spirited second half comeback after going two goals behind in the first half. Super sub Abdenasser El Khayati struck twice including a stoppage time penalty goal but it was short-lived as the Juggernauts nicked the three points with the help of a Nandhakumar Sekar strike.

Thomas Brdaric forewarned his players about the consequences of such mistakes on the pitch and called for his players to analyse them and put thisgame behind them. The German also reiterated that they can take on any team in their abilities and powers.

Here are the excerpts from Brdaric’s press conference:

The team struggled to cope in the second half and Odisha FC made the comeback as well. What are your views about the second half?

Congratulations to Odisha FC for the win. We found a way to respond and this was our objective in the second half because we knew if the score is narrow, we could change it. We had this mentality and power but unfortunately, we made some mistakes and invited opponents to come and counter, it’s hurting me. We saw the match and it was an even game, even in the second half. A draw would have been a fair result but in football, it’s like if you (make) too many mistakes, you get punished and you lose the match.

Defeat at the death.#AllInForChennaiyin #HeroISL #OFCCFC pic.twitter.com/KxcpoZcukH

— Chennaiyin FC 🏆🏆 (@ChennaiyinFC) November 24, 2022

Trailing at half time, what was your advice to your players?

First of all, I was surprised to see the team play in the first half. The team was playing poorly, without power and we lost too many duels. We want to change a little bit, to have more power and experience, and add some ideas for the team to implement them. In football, it’s like business and we have to accept the result but we have to shake off this result and carry on in every possible way.

Odisha FC are known for their comebacks in the second half but was Chennaiyin FC surprised by the fact that Odisha FC started with high intensity in the first half itself?

No! I know about the strengths of Odisha FC, we have played against them. They have good wingers and players, especially in the offense who make the difference. We want to prevent it with solutions that we show the players, one was the own goal by Vafa (Hakhamenshi), but it happens. In football, you have to show a proper contest for 90 minutes to get a good result. We played against a strong Odisha FC team and we know it. We want to face them in our abilities and succeed.

Do you think Anirudh Thapa’s absence in midfield is hurting the team?

All the absences hurt us and of course, Anirudh will come back soon like Jiteshwor (Singh) and the other players who are not here with us in Odisha; but it’s a game to learn from. I told my players that it’s a long road and this kind of issue, we have to switch off and understand that if we make these kinds of mistakes we will get punished.

What are the takeaways you take from this game for your next match at home against Hyderabad FC?

Everybody in the first half had some issues so we solve them and we can’t do that in the second half. Of course, nobody likes to lose this way, to go in added time and without all the lights and concede the third goal. We can prevent it, analyze it, and then we will bounce back in a good way.