Chennaiyin FC coach Coyle lauds Hyderabad FC’s counter-attack following goal-less draw

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 2 (ANI): Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle urged his players to make the most of their chances in the final third after sharing spoils against Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday and lauded his “dangerous” and “spirited” opponents for their fine counter-attack.

It was Chennaiyin FC’s first clean sheet away from home in the ISL in this calendar year. Moreover, it was the first goalless draw of the ISL 2024-25 season where both sides created multiple goal-scoring moves but could not break the deadlock.

The Marina Machans created numerous opportunities through both flanks, but a resilient Hyderabad FC defence prevented them from scoring the opener. Coyle believed that his players needed to work on their crossing in the opposition half to capitalise on their chances. However, he was also full of praise for Hyderabad FC’s young Indian players and commended their performance.

“I think Hyderabad FC were always dangerous on the counterattack. Allan (Paulista), the striker, is a very good player, and I think he will be a handful, and (Abdul) Rabeeh is a very exciting young Indian player, one that I think has a real chance of having a very good career. I really like that kid. Ramhlunchhunga also. They are dangerous players,” he said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by an ISL press release.

“We dominated the game; what we had to be aware of was the quick counterattack through Hyderabad FC’s pace, particularly Rabeeh and Allan, and they had a couple of opportunities. We (also) had great chances; we were in the wide areas, probably our crossing, which is normally good; our crossing could have been better. We got into so many wide areas; we were in great positions, and our final cross needs to be better,” he continued, sharing his assessment of their overall performance.

Singto’s men displayed a resilient performance in their defensive half, led by captain Alex Saji. Despite going down to ten men after Parag Shrivas received his marching orders, the hosts held on to a clean sheet. The 2021-22 ISL Cup winners managed to keep their first cleansheet at home since doing so against Mohun Bagan SG in the 2022-23 ISL playoffs.

The Chennaiyin FC head coach had words of praise for his opponent team, saying, “Hyderabad FC, to be fair, they are spirited; they are always going to be energetic. It is their first game at home; the fans got behind, but helped them hang in there in the end.”

“But we had so many great opportunities for that final ball, that final pass. So, it is a clean sheet, (the) first one of the season, so another point away from home could have been all three, and probably should have been,” he added.

Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh made a couple of crucial saves during the match, denying Chennaiyin FC players from close range. Just around the hour mark, Singh pulled off an excellent save, showcasing his quick reflex with his outstretched left hand to push away Lukas Brambilla’s free header inside the box.

Speaking in context, Coyle remarked, “I think Arshdeep (Singh) did an unbelievable save in the second half; from Lukas Brambilla with the header, it looked like a goal, off the inside of the post. So, he is probably made up because he probably feels he should have saved a free kick in his last game, but he certainly did an outstanding save there.”

With sharing points against Hyderabad FC, Coyle’s team are winless in their last two outings. Despite having a promising start with a fantastic comeback win against Odisha FC in their opening game, the Marina Machans have struggled to carry on their winning momentum.