"Today, we are very proud of the boys” - Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto after draw with NorthEast United 

Hyderabad FC managed to put up a strong display in the second half to rally and draw against NorthEast United 1-1 in an Indian Super League (ISL) fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.

This result meant that the Nawabs remained unbeaten against the Highlanders in the last eight meetings between the two teams.

The Yellow and Blacks seemed extremely impressive in their attacking runs, and it was Petteri Pennanen's goal that allowed them to equalize in the last moments of the first half.

Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto, speaking to the media after the game, seemed pleased with his team's performance.

“In football, you need luck. First half we were lucky. Otherwise, we could have conceded maybe two, or three goals. It hit the post twice, thrice, I can't remember. And of course, NorthEast United FC are a strong team, they have experienced foreigners and (their) Indian players have been in the ISL for a long period. So, we are very proud of our boys in the second half and the way we came back. I think it was a game of maybe both teams who could have won, first half to them, second half to us, probably,” said Singto.

“I think, great, physical work by Joe (Knowles) and (Mohammad) Yasir, and the young boys who came in and of course, Pete. What a great goal – gritty, hard-driven, and well-earned! So those are the positives we take and we go back, take a breather for a moment, and keep on going. I think that's all we can do as coaches and as players. But today, we are very proud of the boys,” he added.

"I don't want to pinpoint anybody" - Thangboi Singto on errors made by Hyderabad's defense in the first half

The Hyderabad players congratulating Petteri Pennanen (7) on his goal. (HYD)

Although Hyderabad FC managed to stave off embarrassment in the second half, they were completely outplayed by the hosts in the first.

NorthEast managed to tear down Hyderabad's defense several times in the first half, and the Highlanders were quite unlucky to not score more goals than they did.

Quite a few Hyderabad FC players, including left-back Manoj Mohammed, who came back into the side after some time, seemed to be rusty and allowed the Highlanders to push in the final third.

Singto, however, refused to be critical.

“See, I don't want to be critical. I understand that some of the players are coming back after 4 or 5 matches. So I don't want to pinpoint anybody. I think we have to give them time. We have to give them that confidence and assurance that, hey, you keep on doing well, you'll get your chances. So we want to go in that positive way because we have a lot of youngsters in the team at the moment. So for us, it's about building,” shared Singto.

Hyderabad FC travel to take on Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday and coach Singto appeared to be ready for the challenge that lies ahead.

“Odisha, a strong team. If you look at the foreigners. They have two great strikers who have a good pedigree in ISL, (Diego) Mauricio and Roy Krishna. They have Carlos Delgado in the back and one of the best goalkeepers in India, Amrinder (Singh). But like I said, we would rather focus on ourselves, on the areas we need to improve than worry too much. Let’s see what happens on the field,” he added.