ATK FC displayed tremendous spirit to earn a valuable point from a 2-2 draw with Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. Roy Krishna scored a brace for the two-time Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) champions, who after the result, are now just one point off the top of the table.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, ATK head coach Antonio Lopez Habas commended his players’ performance and said, “I am very critical with my team when they don’t play well. But today, they had form, attitude and discipline. The match against Bengaluru (FC) is a very important match for both teams. The club last season was sixth in the table. We have to continue working and prepare for the best performance.”

The Spaniard then, felt his team deserved great credit for staying within touching distance of the top despite having played a lot of matches away from home. “Until now in the Hero ISL, two teams have played six matches away. Mumbai and us. And we are in the top two of the table. The opportunity is every day, every match. The score for me is fair because we played good football for 20 minutes. After that, the opponent had the option to score. I am happy with my style. It is very important.”

“I don’t think teams have had too much difference in the scoreline in the match against Hyderabad here. Bengaluru drew 1-1. (FC) Goa won 1-0. There is not too much difference. We have to improve for the next match against Bengaluru. I am happy with the behaviour of my players,” added Habas.

“Today we made many individual mistakes in the last passes. When you fail to play the last pass, it is impossible to attack consistently. We have to improve on this. It is very difficult to create chances like this,” further analysed the 62-year-old.

Finally, the ATK boss maintained that to win by a handsome margin wasn’t possible in every match. “Always the coach wants the best. The best is to win 3-0, 5-0, but today the score was 2-2. We have to improve. Every match it is not possible to play well because the opponent makes it difficult for you,” he concluded.

Read the Match Report here.