ISL 2021-22: The game was more equal than the scoreline – Manolo Marquez after stunning win against Mumbai City FC

Hyderabad FC was able to stun the defending champions Mumbai City FC in their second match of the Hero Indian Super League 2021-22 season at the PJN Stadium, Fatorda on Saturday as they won by a convincing margin of 3-1. In fact, Hyderabad had lost their last four matches against the reigning champions but bounced back in style to register their first win of the season.

Jahouh scored the opening goal for the Islanders in the sixth minute of the game but Hyderabad came back stronger Joao MJT scored through the penalty in the 13th minute. Manolo Marquez’s men then took the lead in the 53rd minute when their talismanic striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored. Youngster Rohit Danu then put the match to bed as he found the back of the net in the 82nd minute.

In fact, Mumbai City FC dominated the possession with 60% but Manolo Marquez reckons that the game was more equal than what the scoreline of 3-1 suggests.

Marquez said in the post-match press conference, “Sometimes football is crazy. We didn’t deserve to lose against Chennai but today I am very satisfied with the team. Maybe we deserved the win but the game was more equal than 3-1 but this is football as you know it. We won against Mumbai City, one of the favorites for the title. We have eighteen more games to look forward to now”.

Marquez was delighted with the performance of the team. The team’s gaffe reckons that conceding early in the match pushed his players to bring their best.

Marquez added, “We are very happy not because we haven’t won against Mumbai in the last four games but because they are the current champions. They have a very very good team. In the end, football at times is very strange, but I think that they won 3-0 the other day, and they scored very soon tonight. I don’t know, maybe that pushed us to score. We played very well for several minutes of the game. When we scored the second goal, Mumbai was attacking, but we defended heartily, and I think it was a deserved win for us”.

Hyderabad FC will next Jamshedpur FC at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Thursday.