Mumbai City FC head coach Alexandre Guimaraes was quick to take lessons from his team’s 3-2 defeat by Atlético de Kolkata in the first leg of the first semi-final of Hero Indian Super League 2016 at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.In a high-octane match, Lalrindika Ralte put the hosts into the lead in the third minute, after which Mumbai scored two quick goals through Leo Costa and Gerson Vieira. Their joy was short-lived though, as Iain Hume scored a brace (first goal in the 39th minute and second in first-half stoppage time) to break the Mumbaikars’ hearts.Speaking to the media after the game, Guimaraes said he had got his lesson ahead of the second leg in Mumbai on Tuesday. “Not just me but the whole team [has got the lesson] that we have to play with intensity and we have to have that. If we play with good intensity, I know we have a good chance.“Nobody expects that we finish the first 45 minutes with five goals but that is football and it can happen. After that we understood how we have to play in these kinds of games. We have got to reduce errors.”In one massive blow to the team, marquee man Diego Forlan received a red card (two yellow) for kicking out at Jewel Raja in the 74th minute and consequently won’t be available for the second leg. Guimaraes shared his thoughts on the matter. “I think today he just showed that he is human. Now we have a similar situation, like we had at the start and we managed well [without him] and we have got to understand that in these kinds of games, we have got to play with different stamina and I am sure whoever will play in his place will do well, and regarding the disadvantage, I can only tell after the game,” the 57-year-old said.ATK made a quite a few changes to their starting XI, most notable absentee was star playmaker Javi Lara. When asked if he was taken aback by the changes Jose Molina made in the match, Guimaraes said: “No, it was the coach’s decision and if he thought that was best, then it was and it was a fantastic game today for Indian football and it showed local players how you have to perform in semi-finals. Like I said yesterday, we both try to impose things on our teams and I think this was a very good game for the development of Indian football.”Besides the penalty conceded by Sena Ralte for Hume’s second goal, the match also witnessed six yellow cards. Be that as it may, Guimaraes said he was satisfied with the quality of refereeing. “There is no point talking about the referee and these kinds of games are different and most of them like hard contact, which was normal for me and this is football.”Guimaraes also shed light on why Matias Defederico didn’t start on Saturday. “Yesterday after practice he felt a bit tight and our medical department tried to get him fit but the doctor told me that we cannot let him play full 90 minutes, and I hope he can be available to play on Tuesday,” he said.Guimaraes was also hopeful that Mumbai’s highest scorer from last season, Sunil Chhetri will soon be among the goals. “Maybe on Tuesday he will score and he is doing the best he can and he is a strong character and he knows that Tuesday is the last chance, and I am sure he will try to do his best,” he said.
