Mumbai City FC booked their spot in the play-offs of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 with a comfortable 3-1 victory over ATK at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharathi Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday. A stunning hat-trick from Modou Sougou sealed the victory for the Islanders, while Andre Bikey bagged a consolation goal for the hosts. The result also means that ATK are now mathematically out of the running for a spot in the next round.

Mumbai head coach Jorge Costa was a very happy man at the post-match press conference. "The players were perfect. Sometimes I understand that few people like the way we play while some people don’t. But the most important thing at the end of the day is the result. We had three defeats (in a row), so before the game, we were under pressure. But I think we deserved the victory. From the beginning, we were saying that we wanted to finish in the top four. So today we can say that we finished in the top four. I am very happy and proud of all the work that we have been doing since the beginning," he stated.

Speaking about his future with Mumbai, Costa said, "I am happy here. The people here have done their best to keep me happy. My job is not finished and we will have more time to speak. But the most important thing is I am happy in Mumbai, I am happy in India."

The Portuguese also had some warm words for his star striker Sougou, who put in another match-winning performance on the night. "I know Sougou very well. I know what he can do for the team and how he can help us. He is such a nice guy and he is so professional. I am particularly very happy with him," he said.

From ATK’s end, head coach Steve Coppell shared his thoughts on what proved to be a disappointing night for ATK. "I am very disappointed. It was a difficult week for us to prepare for the game because we had quite a few injuries. Edu Garcia was unable to train more or less all week, but he battled through to the end," he said.

"It was disappointing because everyone knew what Mumbai would do with Arnold Issoko down the wings and Sougou finishing his crosses. We had opportunities and if we had converted one more opportunity towards the end, it might have been an interesting last 5,10 minutes. But overall, we came into his game thinking we had a chance to qualify to the top four, but we never really got our teeth into it," the Englishman added.

Click here to read the match report.