Having gained the initial advantage over Mumbai City FC in the first-leg semifinal, Atletico de Kolkata’s marquee player Helder Postiga has asked the players to keep their feet on the ground.
“It is very important to control our emotions. The most important thing is to focus on the next match (the second leg of play-off in Mumbai),” Postiga said.
“We played with passion against a big team like Mumbai but we have to forget the result and go the next match with the proper focus,” he added.
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“They (Mumbai) came into the match with eight clean sheets and scoring three goals against them, I think we did a great job,” Spanish coach Jose Molina’s said.
“We did a great job in attack against Mumbai, but we have a long road ahead and need to play with the same intensity in Mumbai,” the coach added.
Postiga, who prefers to play a more creative role as a withdrawn forward, hailed the positive attacking form of his Canadian colleague Iain Hume, whose two goals in the end helped ATK win.
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“He showed yesterday he can make the difference. The team needs players of big quality and Hume showed that yesterday,” the Portuguese said. “I prefer to play from the back as it helps the team more. I believe that would ease the pressure on other midfielders,” Postiga said.