A brace from Roy Krishna secured a 3-2 victory for ATK Mohun Bagan against Kerala Blasters FC in Match 78 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday. The Blasters went two-goals up thanks to Gary Hooper and Costa Nhamoinesu but a goal for Mariners debutant Marcelo Pereira followed by two goals from Krishna ensured the three points for the Kolkata-based club.

At the post-match press conference, ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Lopez Habas expressed his satisfaction with the final score. “I am satisfied with the result. We didn't have a good performance in the first half. After that, we had a fantastic second 45 minutes. I think that we absolutely deserved this score,” he said.

ATK Mohun Bagan conceded twice before scoring three goals to script a dream comeback. When asked whether his team were under pressure after going two goals down, Habas said: “Balance is the magic word in football. I prefer winning 1-0 than a draw. We don't have a team that will score 4-5 goals per match. We have to control the result. If one goal is necessary to win this, it is perfect for us.”

The head coach was also content with the performance of his new signing Pereira, who joined the Mariners on loan from Odisha FC. Speaking about his performance, Habas said: “We want to bring back the best form of Marcelinho. This is our idea. He needs more minutes and more confidence. He scored today and this will be fantastic for us because it will increase his confidence.”

Watch Antonio Habas' Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters head coach Kibu Vicuna was unhappy with the final result. “We had a bad moment. I am very frustrated and disappointed. Now, we have no time to think about the match, we have to correct things. In two days, we have to play against Mumbai City FC,” he said.  

However, he was proud of his players’ performance. “I am proud of the players. They are doing the best that they can,” Vicuna said.

“I think the first goal was key [to ATK Mohun Bagan’s comeback]. We didn't deserve to lose. It was a game that we wanted to win. We didn’t panic. They are a good team and they also wanted to win the match as much as we wanted to,” he added.

Watch Kibu Vicuna's Post-Match Press conference here: