The opening match of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 between Kerala Blasters FC and defending champions ATK at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi ended in a goalless draw. Kerala’s goalkeeper Paul Rachubka played his part coming up with some important saves to keep the home side in the game. The Manchester United academy graduate took time to address indiansuperleague.com post the match and shared his thoughts on the game. Excerpts from the interview:

Paul, sweltering out here! Has it taken toll on your body?

No, it’s been fantastic. It’s my first time here, and what an experience! You can hear the crowd from the moment you come into the changing room and then when you come onto the pitch, it’s just fantastic!

Happy with the 0-0 result? It was a back and forth game.

For a goalkeeper, it’s a clean sheet, so I’m happy! I wanted to win the game, but that’s for the strikers to do.

In terms of communication with the defence, is it coming together with Sandesh Jhingan?

Definitely. You have to learn to communicate in different ways. You can’t just shout at each other and expect to be heard. So, you learn with your body language and you get to know the players and who’s going to do what at what time and that will improve throughout the season.

As a goalkeeper you get the whole perspective from the back. Would you say Rene Meulensteen’s tactics are coming together?

Yeah, we’re coming together. We can improve, we know that. We’re going to get better and it’s just the start of the journey.

How are you feeling to finally get the ISL up and running?

It’s fantastic! I’m so excited to get going. It’s a great experience and I’m looking forward to the next game here!

A word to the fans?

Fantastic! Keep it going! The 12th man, and I love the yellow!