Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez was delighted after they won their last league stage match against Kerala Blasters FC by 1-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi on Sunday.

Borja Herrera scored the only goal of the match as he gave a lead to the visitors in the 29th minute. Marquez admitted they won in a very difficult stadium as Kerala had huge support in their home ground. A total of 25743 people were in attendance at the stadium, who were cheering for the hosts.

Hyderabad FC finished their league campaign in the second position in the standings with 13 wins, three draws, and only four losses. Thus, they bagged 42 points in the game.

“We won in a very difficult stadium. It’s fantastic, it’s marvelous to play in front of all these Kerala people,” Marquez said in the post-match press conference.

“The team was okay, Kerala were fifth, and we were second before the game. I know that it was not a fantastic game, but I think we needed to play a game with this spirit that we showed today,” he said.

“In the last game, we conceded easy goals, today was a good performance. We’re very happy with the win,” Marquez continued.

Meanwhile, the Nizams with face either ATK Mohun Bagan or Odisha FC in the two-legged semifinal on March 9. The Spaniard added that his team will look to prepare in the best possible manner for the all-important clash.

“The fantastic thing is that we are in the top two,” Marquez stated.

“The opponent has to play the last game before they play against us. They will arrive in very good condition. So as a team, we need to keep training (during this gap),” he added.

Hyderabad FC’s talisman Bartholomew Ogbeche missed the game against the Tuskers but Marquez confirmed that the Nigerian striker will be ready for the big semifinal.

“(There) was a problem in the last training session but nothing serious. He (Bartholomew Ogbeche) will be surely ready (for the semi-finals). Maybe if today was a must-win game for us then I think he could’ve played,” Marquez said.