ISL 2019-20: Robert Jarni feels it's 'No time to cry' as NorthEast's winless run reaches 7

NorthEast United's winless run in the Indian Super League continued on Thursday evening after they succumbed to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin FC in Chennai.

After riding their luck and staying in the game through a combination of Chennaiyin failing to take their chances and their keeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury making some good saves, their resistance was broken in the second half. In defence, they allowed Chennaiyin numerous raids in on their goal while offering very little in attack.

Barring an early chance in just the 2nd minute of the game thanks to an error at the back from Chennaiyin, NorthEast rarely created much of note during the game.

Coach Robert Jarni was left to lament what he felt was some shaky effort from his charges.

"We had one chance at the beginning, but after that Chennaiyin played better than us. We were very unsure and I thought were very poor in our defensive play. Sometimes to play safe is much better, but we didn't do that today."

Jarni's side were under pressure almost the entire game as Chennaiyin breached their defence at will, especially in the opening 15 minutes and they could well have been 3-0 up had they taken their chances.

But towards the end of the first half, NorthEast looked to be gaining a foothold in the match and Chennaiyin looked frustrated. But Rafael Crivellaro's stunning strike in the 57th minute once again paved the way for Chennaiyin to dominate.

"The goal was just a fantastic effort from Rafael, I can't fault my goalkeeper. But the goal was crucial as everything changed for us after that."

They conceded another soon after and the final 2-0 scoreline could have been a lot larger had their hosts made the most of their chances. Jarni felt a similar effort cost them in their game against FC Goa.

With Asamoah Gyan out injured, their newest signing, Irishman Andrew Keogh started up front for NorthEast.

Asked to rate his striker's performance, Jarni said: "He had a 5-hour flight and reached only early this morning. But he has been playing regularly in Saudi Arabia and he told us he is fit to play the full game. He was constantly running, working hard for the team and fighting. But he didn't get too many balls in the attacking phase, so considering all these things I think he did well."

NorthEast have now gone more than 2 whole months without a win - a 1-0 win over Hyderabad FC on November 6th was their last.

Asked how he intends to pick his team up through this bleak run, Jarni replied: "We have been not so lucky at times, not winning games that we maybe deserved to win. But football is like that. There is no time to cry over this, think about the match tonight maybe, and then look ahead after that. The smart players are learning from the errors."

NorthEast have plenty of time to ponder on how to turn around their form, with their next game against ATK scheduled for the 27th of January.