Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 20 : Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky expressed confidence in his side despite being held to a goalless draw by Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday, as per the ISL official website.
The Islanders missed a chance to move further up the standings as they recorded their eighth draw of the season. Despite struggling to find the net, Mumbai City FC were unlucky not to score, with Jon Toral seeing a goal ruled out for offside in the first half, while Jorge Ortiz nearly gave them the breakthrough in the second half, only for the hosts to produce a crucial goalline clearance. Mumbai City FC had most of the possession and also registered eight shots on target.
"I believe we should have won. We (almost) scored in the first half and then we pushed; we had a lot of chances to score. Hyderabad FC also created clear chances to score goals. In my opinion, we played a very good game. We worked hard, the boys gave their maximum, but today wasn't our day. Sometimes, the result doesn't go your way, but we need to build on the positives," Kratky said in the post-match press conference as quoted by the ISL website.
With this result, Hyderabad FC extended their unbeaten run at home to five games, earning a hard-fought point against a Mumbai City FC side that dominated the game. Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh, who won the Player of the Match award, made seven saves to help his team keep a clean sheet. While the Islanders dropped crucial points, Kratky was pleased with his team's performance and later praised Singh for his heroics.
"For me, we won the game. It was a very good performance against a team that has troubled other sides. If you look at Hyderabad FC's recent performances, they have caused problems for many teams. I don't think they did that to us. We played good football, implemented our strategies, and created chances. But we go again in the next game. We have to learn why we are not scoring and how we can create more chances and be more dominant," he said.
"In the second half, he (Singh) was brilliant. He was fantastic. He made great saves. When the opposition's goalkeeper wins the Player of the Match award, it shows that you did something right, but at the same time, you need to finish your chances. As coaches, we aim to put players in positions where they can score. After that, it's a bit of luck, form, and execution. The players tried their best, but unfortunately, the goal didn't come. Still, it was a positive performance for me," he added.
Lallianzuala Chhangte played his 100th game for the Islanders. The Mumbai City FC captain has not enjoyed his best season so far, having finished as the highest-scoring Indian player last season. However, he remains an integral part of the team, contributing with his work rate and attacking threat down the flanks. Kratky heaped praise on the forward and believes the best is yet to come from him.
"He's brilliant. He is a great athlete and a true professional. He works extremely hard on and off the pitch. He is a great leader, and you can see that he never stops fighting and working for the team. That's brilliant. I'm very happy for him, and hopefully, there is more to come from him not just for us, but for the whole country," Kratky stated.
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