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Defending champions Atletico de Kolkata became the first team to seal their place in the play-offs after an emphatic 4-1 win against FC Pune City. They now have 23 points from 13 games with their final game of the group stage left against Mumbai City FC at the Saltlake Stadium next Saturday.
Speaking to the media after the game Atletico de Kolkata boss said his team has worked hard to acheive the qualification, and it is finally paying off. Habas said, “It’s a combination of discipline, hard work, and talent. This is the magic, nothing else. The team worked hard in Spain for a month which is paying off.
“The mental state of the squad is good and positive. In football, when you lose, you are discouraged; and when you win, you are confident. Football has a lot to do with your mental state, you have to stay positive and that’s what my job as a coach is.”
Canadian striker Iain Hume scored his second hat-trick of the season, and former Eibar striker Dejan Lekic completed the rout in the dying seconds of the game. Hume now has scored 9 goals in the tournament after failing to score in the first six games. Platt added, “He has been fantastic and works hard. He also brings a lot of positive energy to the team, but I don’t want to pick any individual, for me everyone is same.”
FC Pune City manager David Platt was disappointed after his team's loss, and also questioned the referee's decision for Iain Hume's first goal. He said, “Somebody asked me if the first goal was an offisde? But it’s irrelevant now. It was given a goal, and probably the replays will show what it is.
Platt was believes the scoreline doesn't reflects his team's performance, who were a bit unlucky on the day, and failed to take their chances. He added, “I don’t think the scoreline reflects our performance. After being a goal down, we played our way back into game. We started to create chances and dominate the possession, but we hit the post thrice. It becomes a mountain to climb once they were leading by two goals.”
Platt is still hopeful of his team’s chances for qualifying for the play-offs, but maintains they have a big job at hand, and they have to win both of their remaining games. Finishing up, Platt said, “It’s very difficult now, but we can’t rest too much on the game. We have two games left and an opportunity to win both the games.”
