"Credit goes to my players for the way they took up the challenge" - Sreenidi Deccan coach Carlos Vaz Pinto on historic win in first Hyderabad derby
Sreenidi Deccan created history on Friday when they won the first-ever Hyderabad derby by beating their cross-town rivals Hyderabad FC 4-1 in the Kalinga Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Both teams were knocked out of the competition after defeats to East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in the early rounds, but this occasion was historic.
It was the first time that two teams from Hyderabad faced off against each other in a competitive fixture, with Sreenidi etching their name in history by winning it.
Sreenidi head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto, while addressing the media, was his usual modest self when he was told that his name would be amongst the greatest of all time for being the coach who won the first-ever Hyderabad derby.
"I am very happy with the win. Yes, we could have done better, but we will take the win. It is historic, yes- and I spoke to the players ahead of the game. I told them that we need to do very well and I will be happy with that. I said that I will be happy if we win as well, and they did it. We should have scored a few more, I think but that is how it is," Pinto said.
"We have played six or seven unofficial matches with Hyderabad FC by now, and have not lost a single one. This time, in our first-ever competitive derby, we beat them 4-1. I think our players did really well today, marked the spaces and did not allow their players the freedom to express themselves. Full credit goes to my players for the way they took up the challenge," he added.
"Playing in the I-League is slightly different than playing in the ISL" - Carlos Vaz Pinto
This is not the first time that the Deccan Warriors have acted as giant killers and upset a side from the ISL, which is a division higher than the one they currently ply their trade in - the I-League.
In the 2022-23 Super Cup as well, they beat Kerala Blasters 2-0 and drew with Bengaluru FC 1-1.
With this massive result against Hyderabad FC under their belt, it is now an absolute surety that other teams will be looking at them with a sense of apprehension and fear.
Pinto, however, said that the focus was on the I-League now as winning it would guarantee them promotion to the ISL next season.
"Playing in the I-League is slightly different than playing in the ISL. I think the amount of travel involved in the I-League is different from that in the ISL. In the I-League, you tend to play in some surfaces which are quite challenging, but we have tried to adapt there as well," said Pinto.
"Credit our players for adapting and improvising in all conditions and being always prepared to win. For this, I advocate the usage of a full squad, and which is why we saw some rotation in this tournament as well. We played three goalkeepers in the three games (Albino Gomes, Aryan Lamba, and Ubaid CK)," he concluded.