ISL: Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre reflects on defeat to Hyderabad FC

Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre shared his displeasure after his team succumbed to three consecutive defeats in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season following their 2-1 loss against Hyderabad FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Thursday. The Blasters opened the scoring with Jesus Jimenez, who gave the home team a perfect start with his top-notch first-time finish in the 13th minute. With this goal, the Spanish forward has scored in five consecutive games, equaling Dimitrios Diamantakos' record.

Despite taking the lead, Stahre's men failed to hold on to the 1-0 advantage as Hyderabad FC netted the equalizer just before halftime, with Andrei Alba's fantastic finish from the edge of the box. The Brazilian midfielder found himself on the scoresheet again, scoring the winner from the penalty spot, securing back-to-back away wins for Hyderabad FC.

The Kerala Blasters FC head coach was dissatisfied with how his team conceded the equalizer in the dying minutes of the first half. However, Stahre commended his players' efforts, especially before Alba's goal, when the Blasters generated numerous offensive moves through both flanks.

"I think we came out really well; I think we played exactly like the game plan we addressed. We used the wide areas and created lots of one-against-one, and we did, so the first goal was exactly according to the game plan," he said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ISL's official website.

"I think we controlled the game pretty well in the first half, then out of the blue we conceded 1-1; it was way too weak in their own box. Then we changed; we put in Noah (Sadaoui) in the second half; of course, it was a disappointment to concede that goal quite late (in the first half)," he added. (ANI)