ISL 2017/18: NorthEast United coach Avram Grant says Marcinho's injury is 'not looking good'

On Wednesday night, NorthEast United were beaten by Delhi Dynamos by a solitary goal in what was essentially a snooze fest at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. Playing in an almost deserted stadium, the two struggling teams of this season of the Indian Super League (ISL) displayed some poor quality football.

The match, which was decided by a late goal from Dynamos forward Kalu Uche, was filled with error-strewn passes and insipid attacking play.

NorthEast United head coach Avram Grant admitted in the post-match press conference that his side couldn't play a good quality match. He also felt that the foul on Marcinho, which eventually resulted in a pretty bad groin injury for the attacker, should have been a penalty.

"It was not a good quality game by us. We didn't play very well. We played very slow. A lot of times, our last pass wasn't good enough. Then, we lost Marcinho... I think it was a penalty on him," said Grant.

On being asked how bad Marcinho's injury was, the former Chelsea manager said, "It is not looking good. It is a bad injury. At least we could have got a penalty for this."

On the other hand, Dynamos coach Miguel Angel Portugal said that despite being out of contention for the playoff berths, his side will not take the forthcoming fixtures lightly.

"The win was important because we want to leave the last position. We are always aiming for a win. The next four matches will be like a final for us; it will motivate the players to play to win," he said.

Portugal also felt confident about the future of football in India as he said, "The young players need education and preparation for a future in football. In Europe, the culture of football has been there for a long time but it is new in India. However, I have confidence that the future is good for India."