Chennaiyin FC settled for a goalless draw against Hyderabad FC in the nineteenth match of the Indian Super League 2024-25 at the Maidaan in Gachibowli on Tuesday, October 1. Attacker Lukas Brambilla was one of the bright spots for the Marina Machans.
The visitors started the game on the front foot, but the game was gradually hijacked from them by the hosts, who made sure that they dictated the pace and created a lot of chances up front.
Nonetheless, Brambilla’s contributions up front allowed Chennaiyin to break their rut from time to time and get inside the box. His creative inputs helped Owen Coyle’s side get behind the Hyderabad backline and unlock their true potential.
Brambilla’s willingness to go for goal from a distance came in handy for the Machans on quite a few occasions as was his ability to lob and pass the ball long as and when the occasion demanded. His passing accuracy was 76 per cent in the match.
Speaking to IFTWC after the enthralling yet drawn encounter, the Brazilian mentioned how difficult it had been to contend with the falling rain almost throughout the game and why his team will be happy with the clean sheet.
“We always play for three points, but today was a hard game. One point away from home – we are happy with that, but, yes, it could have gone better. I feel that we had the opportunity to convert quite a few opportunities, especially those that I got, but you learn from such things. Playing here in the rain was a big challenge given that the ball was not coming on nicely or as we would have liked it to. But these games tighten you for the future and give you the courage to push for more,” said Brambilla.
“Sometimes we did not make good decisions in this game, but we are improving. It is a learning process. We have a bit of a break before our next match, but we will keep on doing the work. We need to make sure that we keep working hard and preparing for every match. As I said before, we go into every match to try and pick up three points, and nothing less,” he added.
Lukas Brambilla – “It is important to stay positive at all times“
The 29-year-old arrived in Chennai from Othellos Atheniou FC in Cyprus, where he had scored 7 goals in 35 encounters last season. Brambilla played in the wing for the Machans while sometimes shifting to also help Irfan Yadwad and Daniel Chima Chukwu in the final third.
Brambilla was one of the most offensive players that Chennaiyin had on the park on Tuesday, with his willingness to take on duels with the Hyderabad players often resulting in the ball being won by him. His ability to curl the ball from free-kick situations also kept the Nawabs’ defenders on their toes all game.
Perhaps the former Apollon Larissa player’s greatest moment in the game came in the 58th minute when he almost seemed to head the ball into the Hyderabad net, only for a quick and agile Arshdeep Singh to parry it away to safety in the blink of an eye.
When asked about how it feels to come to play in India, the winger said that he only has positive experiences so far. With Chennaiyin’s next game against NorthEast United being on October 17, there is some time for them to rest and prepare well.
“It’s nice – I like it here in India. The coach (Owen Coyle) has always treated me nicely and given me everything that I have wanted. We know that we have a lot to prove, and although this game was a little difficult, we did our best. We have to ensure that our attitude and mentality remain the same no matter how our results are going. If we do that, we will remain prepared for every challenge that is coming our way, now or in the future. It is important to stay positive at all times,” said Brambilla.
“We want to play every game for three points. We give our best in every match, but sometimes, the results do not go our way. In this match, we tried to create a lot of chances and get behind the defensive line of Hyderabad, but I think something was lacking in the final third. All of us need to now go back home, recover, analyse and prepare hard for our next match against NorthEast United in Guwahati,” he concluded.
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