Kiko Ramirez looks at the positives after defeat to Chennaiyin FC

The Juggernauts have now lost three in their last four matches.

Chennaiyin FC stood strong against Odisha FC at the Tilak Maidan. The Juggernauts lost the game 2-1, but it could have been even worse for Kiko Ramirez’s men. The first goal in the 23rd minute saw Germanpreet Singh scoring after six long years. The second goal was a pile-driving shot from Mirlan Murzaev in the 63rd minute. The Marina Machans even missed a penalty, rather to be precise, Kamaljit Singh made a brilliant save. However, a screamer late in the game by Javi Hernandez saw Odisha grab some consolation.

Odisha FC head coach Kiko Ramirez interacted with the media after the match. Here’s what the 51-year-old said:

Letting go of the opportunity to win

Kiko Ramirez had previously mentioned in the pre-match press conference that this match was another opportunity for his team to get back to winning ways. But, his team failed to pounce on it. The head coach stated, “Of course, we feel disappointed for not achieving the victory. But, this is football. So, chin up and keep working. Look forward to the next match and win again.”

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What is not working for team?

Odisha have now suffered three defeats in their last four encounters. When asked what’s not working for the team, the tactician commented, “For me, it’s not like that. It’s six matches – three wins and three losses. It may be because the other teams are better. We’ll try to do better in the next match.”

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Reason for changes

The Odisha FC boss had brought in a few changes from their last encounter. We saw Vinit Rai dropped to the bench, apart from Hendry Antonay and Jerry Mawihmingthanga. On the other hand, Thoiba Singh got a start. When asked about the reason for the changes, the 51-year-old mentioned, “All the players are working hard. Today, we put Paul (Ramfangzauva) and Thoiba and we are happy with that decision because all the players are training good and they deserve to play.

"Another thing is that for instance, Deven (Sawhney) made his first appearance in the ISL. Also, Sebastian (Thangmuansang) played for the first time for us and we are happy about that.”

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