When you don't respect opponent, you deserve to concede, says Juan Pedro Benali after Hyderabad game

Juan Pedro Benali also spoke up regarding the compact ISL schedule.

NorthEast United shared spoils against Hyderabad FC following a 2-2 draw at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The Highlanders took the lead, courtesy of a wonderful strike from Parthib Gogoi in the first half and then added a second from an own goal from Alex Saji.

Hyderabad FC stood firm and kept on fighting and restored parity with goals from Makan Chothe and Joao Victor to bring an end to their losing streak.

After the match, NorthEast United’s head coach Juan Pedro Benali addressed the media and shared his thoughts.

Thoughts on the game

Sharing his thoughts on the game, Benali said that his team turned off and disrespected Hyderabad FC after scoring the second goal.

“When you play a game, you don’t look if you go to top-six or top-seven. We play a game to win. The problem is, when we scored the second goal, we stopped being angry and we disrespected the opponent. And when you don’t respect the opponent, even if you’re 2-0 up, you deserve to concede the two goals. We just stopped playing, pressing, and we started walking. We thought the job was done, but the game is 100 minutes. It’s a big slap and congratulations to Hyderabad FC,” he asserted. 

Upcoming game

The Highlanders will host Punjab FC in their next fixture on March 7. The head coach said, “It has a double face – could be very good, could be very bad. We will see after the game against Punjab FC. But thank you to ISL. This is what it is, not only us, everybody. They think about the players and they think about having to play very nice games, to see nice rhythm and to make people watch the good games. That’s why they put it every two days, three days.”

Thoughts on Parthib’s performance

Parthib Gogoi scored an eye-catching goal today. Speaking about his performance, the Spaniard said that the forward was excellent on the pitch, but he needs time to learn more.

“Parthib (Gogoi) was very good at the time he was on the pitch. You know, he gave us what we needed. He never played as a full striker and he’s doing a great job. He has been working for it. And I’m really happy for him. I think he’s one of the key players both for the present and the future. But he needs time, we don’t need to push him, we don’t need to rush him. He’s a very young guy and he’s learning,” he quipped.

Is this result a wakeup call?

When asked about if this result is a wakeup call for his side, Juan Pedro Benali said, “I keep saying it, this is a year for us to learn. The problem is we get upset and frustrated when you train something a lot and you repeat the same mistakes in the game. And sometimes you pay, sometimes not. Today we paid,” he concluded.

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