Keegan Pereira got 90 minutes under his belt during Atlético de Kolkata’s 0-0 draw against FC Pune City at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Kolkata on Friday evening. The left-back made his third appearance for ATK in Hero Indian Super League 2016 and looked solid in defence and comfortable going forward. He made two successful tackles, two interceptions and two clearances for Kolkata. The 29-year-old also had one shot on target and completed a key pass as well as a cross on the night. Pereira spoke to indiansuperleague.com in an exclusive interview after the match. Here are the excerpts.What are your thoughts on the match?It was a good game for us, we had a lot of attempts on goal, and we did everything we could as a team. We defended well and attacked well. I think the game was there for the taking but unfortunately we couldn’t make the breakthrough.How do you rate ATK’s chances in the semi-finals?We have a good chance to reach the final, we have a good balance of foreigners and Indians. So I think we have a good chance to reach the final.Which team would you like to face or avoid in the semis?We don’t care who we play. We have to do our homework and we have to prepare as a team. Whatever our coach plans we will follow, we don’t care who we play. We are ready.Are you happy with your personal performance?Coming back from Bengaluru after the AFC Cup, it’s very nice to play here, and as a defender keeping a clean sheet is a good thing for us. Hence I’m happy with my performance today.As you mentioned you came from the AFC cup and joined ATK midway, so what was the atmosphere like in the dressing room?Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. There was a warm welcome for me on the first day of training. The coach introduced me to everybody on the training field. I felt everyone was so nice to me and the atmosphere was very light as they let me in very well.
