Mumbai City FC piped defending champions ATK by a 2 – 1 scoreline at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. Marcio Rozario and Rafa Jorda scored on either side of a Bipin Singh equaliser, as the Islanders kept alive their hopes of making it to their second consecutive playoff.

Addressing the media during the post-match press conference was Mumbai’s head coach Alexandre Guimaraes, who underlined the importance of the win. “It was a very important win,” he remarked. “It was important, firstly, for the players who have been trying to get a result like that in our previous games and did not get the rewards. This is good for their self-confidence, so that they know that they are doing things well. The reaction the players had after ATK had equalised were fantastic because they showed the will to win.”

He further added, “And of course, it keeps us alive before these last three games that we have to play. It’s not easy always to come here (in Kolkata) and win.”

The 58-year-old also explained why he had benched Balwant Singh for this crucial encounter. “For our last two games at home, we prepared a Plan B in case we needed it,” explained Guimaraes. “So, I analysed that and kept Balwant Singh on the bench. And even if Thiago Santos would not have been injured during our last training session on Friday, I would have started him on the bench with Balwant. I know they can go in and with their quality and experience, the other team would draw back.”

The Costa Rican also highlighted midfielder Sehnaj Singh’s contribution to the game and lauded him for his performance. “I am very happy at how Sehnaj Singh has played,” Guimaraes stated. “He did fantastically. He is a warrior. He plays in a position where there is a lot of contact. He played first in midfield and then as a right back and then again in midfield. He has this versatility that I like very much. So, this is important for my conception of the game.”