Arata Izumi’s debut for FC Pune City didn’t go well as the Stallions suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC in their 2016 Hero Indian Super League opener at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune on Monday. Izumi had the first shot of the game on goal in the 10th minute through a header but it was safely collected by Mumbai goalkeeper Roberto Volpato. Apart from that, Izumi failed to make any impressions and was consequently replaced in the second half. The former Atlético de Kolkata midfielder spoke to indiansuperleague.com after the match and discussed his team’s performance on the night. Here are the excerpts from the interview.Your first match over here, not the result you wanted. What are your thoughts on the match?It’s a tough result for us and it’s slightly difficult to accept defeat but this is just the start, we can just get better and better. Now we focus on the next match and I’m sure we’ll come back strongly.What do you think didn’t go the team’s way in this match?We tried our best but the things didn’t go quite well for us. We must try to improve in those areas for the next game, we must be ready for the fight.What are your thoughts on the fans here?It’s a fantastic atmosphere, I cannot appreciate it enough. Wish we could give them a win but as I said this is just the beginning. I’m sure next game will be better.A few words on your love for this city of Pune…I love everything about this city, this is my home and I’m proud to be back here and play in front of you guys (fans).
