Hyderabad FC redeemed themselves with a 2-1 win against Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League on Wednesday night at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. Bartholomew Ogbeche and Javier Siverio scored the goals for the Nizams whereas Vincy Barretto came up with an absolute blinder in the last moments of the game but it only resulted as a consolation for the Yellow Army.
The win also confirmed Hyderabad FC’s spot in the semifinals for the first time in their club’s history. Head coach Manolo Marquez was delighted with the outcome as he lavished praise on the players and the members of the staff who worked day in and out to achieve this feat.
“We are very happy. First of all, if you allow me, I want to dedicate this semi-final qualification to all the players and members of the staff. We couldn’t qualify last season when we deserved it. The second thing is that people in Indian football should know that the coach of Kerala Blasters entered our room to congratulate our team for qualifying. This is the level of the coaches that Hero ISL needs personally,” Manolo Marquez stated at the post-match press conference.
The Spaniard reveals that the first target was to get to the top four and having that secure allows the players and him to relax and party when they reach the hotel. However, he wants to win the remaining two matches to grab the ISL Shield and highlights how important the game against Jamshedpur FC will be for the Nizams.
“The first goal was to arrive in the top-four. Now, we have to play two games. We have to try to win both. If we win against Jamshedpur FC then we can surpass them but it will depend on ATK Mohun Bagan’s match outcome. But now we are happy, we will celebrate tonight in the hotel. After this, we will think about the next game because if you are in this situation you have to keep going. Let’s see if we can beat a very good team like Jamshedpur,” the Spanish tactician revealed.
Despite winning the game and qualifying for the playoffs for the very first time, Manolo Marquez admitted that his men have not been at their best for the last few games. He also accepted that Kerala Blasters had some chances to hurt them real bad but they squandered them allowing them to take the lead.
“We are very happy this is the first time in the history of Hyderabad FC that we have qualified for the playoffs. But it’s true that in the last few games we could have played better. Today more or less we controlled the game but in some moments Kerala Blasters created clear chances. Yes, you can always avoid one goal at the last minute. But now the most important thing for our team is that we have qualified for the top four.” Manolo Marquez said before signing off.
Hyderabad FC still have two games remaining in the current Indian Super League campaign as they go up against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday whereas the last match of the league campaign ends with facing Mumbai City FC on Saturday.
