Jamshedpur, Dec 8 (FN Agency) Jamshedpur FC head coach Scott Cooper commended his players for displaying remarkable fighting spirit as his team bounced back against Chennaiyin FC to secure a point in their Indian Super League (ISL) fixture at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Thursdaynight. It’s the sixth time in the history of ISL that Chennaiyin FC have failed to win a game despite taking a lead by two goals or more. Farukh Choudhary scored the opener in the 9th minute with a superb header, capitalizing on Rafael Crivellaro’s inch-perfect corner kick, while Ninthoi doubled their lead in the 40th minute with a composed finish, beating Rehenesh TP in a 1v1 situation. The hosts managed to pull one goal back just before the end of the first half through PC Laldinpuia while Daniel Chima Chukwu emerged as a super-sub, scoring the vital equaliser in the dying minutes of the second half, the ISL sources said. Cooper shared his respect for Owen Coyle and asserted that it was not so easy to come back against a team like Chennaiyin FC.
The Englishman had words of praise for his opponent, applauding their style of play but also commended all his combative players who fought till the end, showing their character that earned them a point against the Marina Machans. “They (Chennaiyin FC) are a difficult team to play against,” Cooper stated in the post-match press conference.“They’re well coached, they’ve two good centre-backs, and they’re strong in the air. They have a good plan. There’s a good coach, and they work hard for him (Owen Coyle). It’s not an easy team to come back against. They have a clear structure. It’s a very hard task to come back against that type of team. So, I think we showed good character,” he added.Cooper prefers a game-by-game approach, emphasizing the importance of taking one match at a time. While expressing disappointment over the recent result, he urges his players to shift their focus to the next three away games and collect as many points as possible.“We have to take it one game at a time. We wanted three points tonight. So, we have to be disappointed. In the second half, we played really well. We were strong.
We pushed the pace of the game. Of course, it’s that way when you’re leading 2-1, the opposition would try to protect with what they’ve got,” Cooper said. “So, the next game is an away (game) against Bengaluru FC, and then we will play against Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC. So, three away games are coming. It will be a tough task for us. We need to collect more points, but at least we’ve stopped the losing streak,” the tactician commented. With six points from nine matches, Jamshedpur FC are currently positioned in the 10th spot. Cooper believes his team should enhance their attacking aspects to achieve a better balance in the game.