ISL 2022-23: Nandhakumar Sekar reveals why he didn’t celebrate after scoring winner against Chennaiyin FC

Odisha FC winger Nandhakumar Sekar has opened up on his muted celebration after scoring the winner against Chennayin FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Thursday. The match was tied at 2-2 when Sekar’s strike in injury time gave the Juggernauts a win and thus three crucial points.

As Sekar hails from Salem, Tamil Nadu, he didn’t want to celebrate after scoring against Chennaiyin FC. Sekar revealed he receives a lot of support from Chennai fans and he also knows many players.

“I have never played for the Chennaiyin FC team despite being a Tamil Nadu footballer. I know almost all of their fans and a few of their players,” Nandhakumar told Deccan Chronicle in an interview.

Meanwhile, Sekar has been associated with Kalinga Warriors since 2017 and gave credit to Josep Gombau for getting the best out of him.

He said, “I first met the coach in 2017 when I was new to the club. After he left, I worked under two different coaches.

Sekar has been in fine form in the ongoing season for Chennaiyin FC as he has scored three goals.

On the other hand, Josep Gombau had showered praise on the youngster after he had scored the winner against Marina Machans.

Gombau said, “We are so happy with Nandha, and he is a very important player for us. He has a lot of qualities and he is a player that I like and I believe in him. Together as a team, we do the job, but having someone like him, it’s not just that he scores, but the way that he works when we don’t have the ball. We are also happy with (Jerry Mawihmingthanga). The last goal came from Jerry’s anticipation and Nandha finished. Last week (against East Bengal), both of them scored the third and the fourth goal that allowed us to win the game.”

Odisha FC will next take on NorthEast United FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on 2nd December.