Bengaluru FC became the first team to reach the final of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 after they overcame FC Pune City 3 – 1 in the second leg of the first semi-final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Sunil Chhetri led from the front, scoring his first hat-trick for the Blues to put them within a step of lifting the Hero ISL title in their debut season.

Speaking to the media at the post-match press-conference was their head coach Albert Roca and he began by praising the efforts of the Hero of the Match, Sunil Chhetri. “What can I say about him? He’s an outstanding player,” Roca gushed. “There are no words to define him. This was such an important game, and he proved that he is always there when required. He is a wonderful player. Today was a difficult game. So, it was a team effort. It was not just him, but also the other players around him; the entire squad.”

The Spaniard admitted that there was one moment where he felt uncertain about his team’s progress. “When you are losing some games, you try not to panic and try and resolve the situations,” he stated. “We had never had any negative dynamic. We lost only two games at home. But after losing to Delhi, I remember it was not easy. We could have gone up or down, and that was the only moment when I was not sure about our trajectory. But after that we have shown that we deserved to be where we are.”

Before wrapping up, the 55-year-old stated that his team are eagerly awaiting the grand finale. “I am happy to have reached the final in our first season,” Roca said. “The players now have to show all the efforts that we have shown so far, and give their best on the pitch. The club has been doing that all these years. But it is important to keep this team at the top of Indian football. Now, we have to in the title race, which is our last hurdle.”