ATK Mohun Bagan played better than us, admits Manolo Marquez

The Hyderabad FC spoke after his team created history and secured a place in the final.

Hyderabad FC created history by reaching the final of the 2021-22 Indian Super League for the first time. The outfit beat ATK Mohun Bagan by 3-2 over the two legs, despite losing the second by a 0-1 scoreline. Roy Krishna’s goal proved unsuccessful in helping his team to the win. Eventually, the Nizams kept their lead intact from the first leg and reached the final.

Manolo Marquez’s men defended with a commendable spirit in order to keep the Mariners at bay. Preventing them from scoring the second goal took a huge collective effort. The result will see Hyderabad FC contest for the title against Kerala Blasters in an epic final, which will also have fans in attendance.

During the post-match press conference, Marquez talked about his feelings regarding the season and hopes that the fans come out in big numbers to support the players.

Happy about season

Manolo Marquez did not hold back his emotions and expressed his delight after securing a place in the final. In this regard, he said, “We are very happy about our season. It is historical, second place in the regular season and now arriving in the final against a team that has one of the best players in the ISL.

"For me, they were better than us today, but we defended with order and now we are happy because it is the first time we are in the final.”

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Qualifying was more important

Manolo Marquez was of the belief that despite the loss, it was more important to secure qualification into the final and protect the lead. He said, “The important thing was to qualify. If we win or lose, the important thing was to qualify for the final and this is why we are so happy, especially our Indian players are very young, most of them will be playing the final for the first time.

"I think that today, ATK Mohun Bagan played better than us and it was lucky for our team that they scored very late. (Laxmikant) Kattimani did great in the organization and we defended with a lot of order. Today is not a day to think about bad things, but to celebrate arriving to the final for the first time,” he further added.

Support from fans

Manolo Marquez also went on to ask Hyderabad FC fans to attend the final in large numbers to support their team. They will be up against Kerala Blasters, a team that has one of the most passionate fans in the country.

He said in this regard, “With people in the stands, I think our fans have to try, I know the Manjappada, Kerala Blasters has a lot of fans. But, I want to tell Hyderabad FC supporters that it would be very good if they can go to Fatorda on Sunday.” 

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