Won the game because we played through our style: HFC head coach Manolo Marquez

Hyderabad FC head coach Manolo Marquez lauded his players' commitment to his playing style as his side overcame Bengaluru FC in a narrow 1-0 victory in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.

Bartholomew Ogbeche's late strike made the difference for Hyderabad FC in a tight affair between the two sides. The Yellow and Blacks clinched their first home win of the ISL 2022-23 season and now see themselves on top of the table after three games.

Playing his first-ever game on the home turf of Hyderabad FC, Marquez was extremely delighted to see his side scrape past a victory and wants his side to continue their winning momentum to get numerous supporters in the stadium to cheer for his side. He also warned his side to not get too ahead of themselves after being on top of the table, unbeaten in three games.

Talking about playing in Hyderabad after a long time, Manolo Marquez said in a press conference, "Obviously, it was really good to have won this game. It was not only my first time in the stadium but also several players' first time. Let's see if we get more people for the next game because after all, more people will come to the stadium if they see the team continue winning (momentum). The feeling is incredibly good because we won the game."

"I am very happy because, in the second half, Hyderabad played like Hyderabad. In the first half, practically speaking, Bengaluru played far better than us. In the second half, it was clear that Hyderabad dominated the game. Bengaluru FC defended very well with extremely good players, but finally, we opened the scoring, and I think if you look at all the chances in the game, this is a fair score," he added.

Simon Grayson (head coach of BFC) said that whilst having possession, they were lacking the progression you had, talking about this HFC head coach said, "Yes. In the first half, more or less, we started the game, okay, but there was one moment with the long balls, there was a lot of distance between the defenders and the forwards. Hitesh (Sharma) and Joao (Victor) - only two players, four midfielders is impossible (to attack) in their half of the pitch. By half-time, we could've won, lost, or drawn, but we stuck to one style, our style and this is the reason why we were champions as we played two seasons in this style," he added.

"If we don't play in our style it is difficult, maybe we can add one aspect to it, but I am very satisfied (with the win) because the players understood the message. In the second half, we played through our style, had possession, created chances, won the game, and it was not easy. If you look at the games played by Bengaluru FC, their opponent teams didn't get to create too many chances against them, but this 1-0 score is very good for us. Now, we have only played three games, and I think our league is very competitive. I don't know at what position we will finish but the thing I know is that our team is very competitive," said the HFC head coach.

( With inputs from ANI )

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