CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC (CFC) head coach Owen Coyle lamented his side's poor defending as they went down 1-3 to Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

Reduced to ten men after the dismissal of Wilmar Jordan Gil, the hosts were up against it as the visitors made the numerical advantage count to race to a 3-0 lead. Vincy Barretto's goal in second-half stoppage time proved to be nothing more than a consolation as Chennaiyin FC slipped further adrift of the top six spots.

The Scottish head coach highlighted how defensive frailties have let the team down all season. "We gave away a very soft goal in the first few minutes. The defensive reaction has to be a lot better," he said during the post-match press conference, as quoted from the official website of ISL.

"Defensively we were nowhere near good enough. This is not just tonight but it's been a story throughout the season. Nobody is running away from that. And that's where as individuals we need to take responsibility," he added.

Coyle also urged the fans to keep the team's back in these difficult times as their winless run stretched to seven games. "I just want to say to the fans that keep supporting us. Chennaiyin FC is a club that you love. You support the club through thick and thin. They were vocal tonight and they are a great fanbase," he said.

The 58-year-old also hinted that the team had no time to dwell on the defeat and needed to shift their attention to the remaining games. "Football changes very quickly, so we have to pick ourselves up and go again. We can't change the results. So, we can either feel sorry for ourselves or show desire and hunger again. That's what we need to do," he concluded.