Chennaiyin FC came back from behind to register a narrow 2-1 victory over defending champions ATK at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday. This was their first win ever at Kolkata, and also the first time that they completed the double over ATK in Hero Indian Super League (ISL). Mailson Alves cancelled out Martin Paterson’s opener before Chennaiyin’s top-scorer of the season, Jeje Lalpekhlua netted the winner. After the final whistle, indiansuperleague.com caught up with the ‘Mizo Sniper’ to find out his views on the match. Here are the excerpts.

Your thoughts on the win?

We deserved the win! You play good and you fight together for 90 minutes. We conceded a goal in the first half, but we kept our focus on the game and we got the goals and the three points. So, it’s good for us.

Talk us through your goal.

In the first half, we didn’t get many crosses. In the second half, I saw the ball coming and I ran near the post and got the goal. I think it was good teamwork and I would like to thank the player who gave the ball to me.

What was head coach John Gregory’s advice at the halftime break?

He told us that in the first half we did quite well, but we have to keep our focus on the game and play the same game like we did in the first half.

Do you think you’re getting stronger as the season is developing?

Yes. In the last match, I didn’t get a goal. But in this game, I am happy to score and get on the score sheet. I don’t care if I score and then the whole team is losing because there’s no point in that. But, if I don’t score and yet the team gets three points, I am happy.

How physical was it out there?

It was a difficult game. It was a tight game and especially, their defence was very strong. But like I said, you have to fight until the end, throughout the season.