Speaking exclusively to indiansuperleague.com, the NorthEast United FC defender reflected on the hard loss versus Atlético de Kolkata, missing Miguel Garcia today and the amazing crowd support. Zodingliana also vowed to come back stronger in the matches ahead.

Tough game for you today. You guys played like you put in everything, but no luck…

The game was a little tough today and not too much luck going our way. Let’s hope we bounce back soon.

You had a good first half. What did you think of the team’s chances then?

Like I said, today was an unlucky day. We had a lot of chances, but just couldn’t make the most of it. But we did play well.

Did you miss Miguel Garcia today? He was good for you in the first game.

Yes, we did actually. He is the captain and a very important figure in the defence and we missed him a lot. Hopefully he should be back for the next game.

Do you think Kolkata’s physicality did you in today?

Yes, I must admit they were a bit too physical for us. We are the better team on ground, but they were better in the air.

And what about the fan support? Because it was absolutely fantastic today even though you guys were down.

They are fantastic fans and they support us a lot. They give us extra energy and we are happy about it.

What have you learnt from your experience playing in the Hero Indian Super League so far?

It has been a very important learning experience for me. It’s hard to say exactly how yet. I’ll be in a better position to do that at the end of the league.

The next game is another home game. Do you expect to have a strong outing?

I hope we bounce back. I believe we can. Today, we played better than last game, but just fell short. We will play even better in the next game.

On a personal note, who do you look up to in this NorthEast team?

I can’t mention one player. The whole team is good and there’s great friendship amongst us. They’re all good mates... I can’t mention anyone specific.