Mumbai City FC defeated ATK 2 – 1 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. Marcio Rozario and Rafa Jorda struck for the Islanders, even though ATK had briefly restored parity through Bipin Singh. The win keeps Mumbai’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs alive and speaking to indiansuperleague.com after the match was their young and spirited midfielder Sahil Tavora. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

What are your thoughts on the match?

It was a very tough game despite ATK being in not a good position. They were very good opponents and even with their position in the table, they were very hard to play against. They have some good quality players, so it was a very good game. We showed good character, especially after conceding very early on in the second half. But we got a goal quickly after that and that I think showed character. We shut the shop at the end until the final whistle and got the three points.

How important was it to score?

I think it was very important because sometimes when the opposition scores, they get the confidence and the momentum but we reacted very well. It was a great goal from Rafa and that was a good moment to shut shop and get the three points.

How important was it to get the three points?

It was a do-or-die. We needed the three points as it puts us in a position where mathematically we can still qualify and now, mathematically we still have the chance depending on the results. So we’ll keep fighting and as long as there is a 1% chance to qualify, we will give our 100% and see where it takes us.

How difficult were the last few minutes of the game?

Just like any other team, they pushed everyone on top and really went for it to get the equaliser. So in the end, it was a good defensive performance in the last twenty minutes as they were really pushing. So it was a good game for us.

What are your thoughts on the remaining games?

Very similar to today’s mindset. We’ll take it one game at a time. Next, we have a home game and two away games. Again we need maximum points from each game, but we will take one game at a time like we did today. So we will keep fighting.