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ATK Mohun Bagan rallied to a clinical 2-0 victory over Bengaluru FC at the PJN Stadium in Goa on Sunday. The defeat against the Mariners means Marco Pezzaiuoli's men are out of the top-four race in the Indian Super League.
Meanwhile, with the victory, ATK Mohun Bagan have solidified their bid to make it into the semi-finals. The Mariners now have 34 points from 18 games.
When asked how it feels as they inch closer to the top-four spot, head coach Juan Ferrando said:
"The thinking tonight is to go to the next game on Thursday. We have two days to prepare for the game because that is important for us. I'm happy because the supporters of the club are happy, but for us, it's our job to put focus on our game."
Although ATKMB are third in the ISL points table, they still have the edge in the race to the League Winners' Shield as the ISL teams around them face off against each other. Does Ferrando feel the same way?
The Spanish gaffer said:
"To be honest, now after the match against Odisha FC it depends on us to win against Chennaiyin FC and try to win against Jamshedpur FC because in this case maybe we can lose energy in both games. In the end, it depends on what happens between Mumbai-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Jamshedpur, we'll see what happens."
He added:
"Of course, cross our fingers for us because we are thinking about the first position. But to be honest, I think it's necessary to think in our games to take six points, and then we'll see what happens."
Click here to find out which is the next match in the ISL fixtures.
"We have shown this season how we play football" - Marco Pezzaiuoli on Bengaluru FC's journey in ISL 2021-22
Meanwhile, for Bengaluru FC, the loss meant the end of their semi-final hopes. The Mariners won 2-0, courtesy of goals from Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh.
Speaking after the match, Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli said he was disappointed with the lack of chances his team created.
The German gaffer said:
"I think we played well today in the game. We had a good time and we made it difficult for ATK Mohun Bagan to play football. Normally, they are a great possession team. We had good chances but not really clear chances, it was only Sunil in the first half and a very good pressing situation, good ball position but in the end, we conceded a goal out of nothing and that was a little bit disappointing."
With just one game remaining in their 2021-22 ISL season, Pezzaiuoli was asked what he made of their journey this year.
The Bengaluru FC head coach said:
"I think individual mistakes, not finishing penalties, mistakes in set pieces and as a result, we are missing the six-seven points. But I think we have shown in the season how we press, how we play football and that's also something special. In the end it is not enough to be in the top-four but I think on this basis we can make the next step for the next season, also for the next game."
