Atlético de Kolkata were on the verge of elimination until they found themselves a lifeline from a spot-kick that was converted by Fikru Teferra in the 68th minute. Their final match of the league stage against FC Goa ended in a hard fought 1-1 draw at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. One point was good enough for the home team to find a place in the semifinals.Their head coach Antonio López Habas dismissed that they were lucky to go through the semifinals with a goal from the penalty spot. “We don’t think it was luck. It was a genuine penalty,” said Habas at the post-match press conference.“We are very happy with the result. We have gotten into the semifinals, but we played like we were playing a final or semifinal! It was very important that we get a point a point today. We improved a lot in different phases during the game and created many chances to score more goals,” he added.He also congratulated the crowd for backing the team in their journey to the semifinals. Kolkata play Goa again in the semifinals, but Habas did not feel that this game provided any pointers for the semifinal fixtures. “We are not expecting the same kind of game as today. It will be a much tougher game on Sunday because we are playing in the semifinal level. But it will not be easy for any opponent to beat us,” warned Habas. Habas also mentioned that he always believed in his team and knew that they would turn it around in the second half. “We changed our system during the interval by keeping only one central midfielder, we had the belief in us,” he proclaimed.Despite the draw taking the team into the semifinals, Atlético de Kolkata have not been in the best of form, having won only once in their last ten games. Baljit Sahni, who was also present at the press conference, shared his thoughts on this. “We have been working hard from the very first match, but this kind of thing can happen to any team. We kept trying to do better, and now we are in the semifinals,” he said.Sahni, who is a striker by trade, has been played as a right back and in midfield over the last few games. When asked if he would prefer to play as a striker in the forthcoming games, he commented, “I have worked hard to play in that position (right back), but I am ready to play in any position my coach asks me to for my team.”Atlético de Kolkata’s centre back Arnab Mondal was stretchered off during the match. In light of his injury, Habas provided an update regarding his defender’s fitness. “We have to wait until tomorrow to see his condition and only then can we decide if he is available for the next match,” said the Kolkata gaffer.
