Draw would have been fair, both teams deserved points: Odisha FC's Kino Garcia

Odisha FC interim head coach Kino Garcia was dejected after his team lost a hard-fought encounter against table-toppers Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa on Thursday.

Odisha FC started the match well and the Juggernauts struck first through Jerry Mawihmingthanga in the 45th-minute. But the second half changed the complexion of the game as Hyderabad FC scored three goals within a span of twenty minutes. Jonathas (84') reduced the margin but it didn't count for much as Odisha FC succumbed to a defeat.

"I think, at least we deserved a draw. Both teams play well, we were unlucky on receiving two fast goals in the second half. We tried to come back and score the second goal, but we didn't have enough time to draw the game. I think draw would be a fair result, both teams deserved at least one point," said Kino Garcia in a post-match press conference as per the ISL website.

"Football is not only about creating chances. In the first half, we made some mistakes, because of our mistakes we created chances for Hyderabad, but we are still working on this kind of game. And in the second half, we were better even we didn't receive many chances but they converted the chances they had. And for us, we were playing against one of the best teams of the Indian Super League and I think we were at the same level," he added.

The head coach further said that the team would have got a better chance if Jonathas could be played from the beginning.

"Of course, we wanted to have Jonathas from the beginning of the match. But we have to think about players' health issues. I could put him on the starting minute, I will put him back. And we have to take care of our players. I think we did well. We were told before the match that Jonathas was going to play around 20-25 minutes. It is better to have him on board for the next match," said the head coach.

The loss means that Odisha FC remained seventh, with 17 points from 13 matches.

( With inputs from ANI )

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