Hyderabad FC came up with a phenomenal performance, thanks to Liston Colaco's late brace. It tamed NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21, at the Tilak Maidan in Goa, on Friday. Hyderabad has now risen to the third place, while NEU stays at the seventh spot.
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It all began with Aridane's opener in the third minute, followed by Joel Chianese in the 36th. Nonetheless, Federico Gallego and Benjamin Lambot pulled it back for NEU at half-time. However, Colaco struck twice, late in the second half, as Hyderabad stole one from NEU.
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Following the game, Hyderabad manager, Manolo Marquez praised Colaco's late effort, along with his side, as he said, "It's not normal to score four goals in back to back games. We know we have good players in offence. Aridane, Joel and Liston scores, finally. I love this guy. I am happy he scored this season. We lose control with penalty and the corner in the end of the first half. In second half, we attacked more than NEUFC and scoreline was fair."
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"I was very angry with some details, but the performance of the players were good. You cannot lose the concentration. I told them we had to play another 45 minutes with score at 0-0," continued Marquez.
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"This will be the normal thing until end of season. Yesterday, Nishu got injured and it's difficult. Let's see. Now, we can rest until 16th. But between 16th and 28th February, we have to play ten games, but it's the same situation for both teams. In second leg of season, I need to use more players if we have to be fresh at the end of the competition," Marquez added.
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Meanwhile, NEU head coach, Gerard Nus, hailed his boys' fighting spirit, adding that they need to put in more effort. "We wanted to win. We had a plan on how to defend and attack, but we weren't good enough. Good spirit to make a comeback and good timing with the comeback. Same against Odisha, we didn't get enough goals despite creating chances. We have to keep working and be clinical to score goals. That's the hardest thing to do in football," he said.
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"Machado, Mashoor had yellow so that's why I got him and only five foreigners can play. Fox can also be useful in scoring from set-pieces. I am not unhappy with the subs I made. We know Ashutosh is good going up and that makes our team unpredictable. We have different options on both sides. It's a young squad and we are developing players. We are giving them chances and we are in the right way, I don't think we deserved to lose, but that's the way it goes. We need to plan and prepare for next game. I think both are very good goalkeepers. Gurmeet is young and has time on his side. They aren't miles off each other in terms of level," added Nus.
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Also, Colaco was glad that he could score, as he felt that his hard work paid off. "Important goals and important win for us to continue. This goal is something I have been trying in training, but it wasn't coming off. So, I have been trying hard in the practice. I prefer playing on the left-wing," he stated.
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