Atlético de Kolkata have made an excellent start to the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), registering back-to-back wins. Although they set the league alight with a 3-0 win against Mumbai City FC in the season opener, tonight’s victory against NorthEast United FC was arguably more impressive, as they won a tough away fixture with an assured display.

Manager Antonio López Habas was demonstrably pleased with the 2-0 triumph, in which the side had to dig deep in the second half in the face of relentless pressure from the hosts. Habas was especially delighted with the first-half performance, in which the Kolkata attack was in full flow and could have easily sent the side into the break with a bigger lead than the 1-0 advantage they eventually earned.

“I think it was a very good match today, especially in the first forty-five minutes. We created a lot of chances,” enthused the veteran Spanish manager.

The first-half lead was courtesy of an excellent goal from Ethiopian striker Fikru Teferra Lemessa, who smashed home from marquee player’s Luis García delicate chipped pass to round off a flowing move. While undoubtedly happy with the goal itself, Habas was quick to point out the quality of the build-up play, and credited the team with the goal.

“Yes, Fikru scored a good goal! But when we talk, we always talk about the team as a whole. He scored the goal because of the collective effort of the time,” Habas asserted.

The win was soured by midfielder Borja Fernández being sent off late in the second half for a second bookable offence. Habas reacted to the decision with dismay, but shuffled his troops to ensure his side would hold out despite the disadvantage. Jakub Podaný’s stoppage-time goal secured the win, but Habas was still frustrated by the sending-off.

“We need to check the match videos again, as we feel both the yellow cards were not convincing,” Habas said. “There were other such incidents in the game that no yellow cards were shown for.”

When asked about the cohesion shown by his side on the pitch, Habas highlighted the importance of Atlético de Kolkata’s preseason, which saw the team spend a month in Spain at the training facility of current La Liga champions Atlético de Madrid, who are part-owners of the ISL club.

“We had a good preseason. We trained for fifty-five to fifty-eight days before the first game. We didn’t do anything special, but now we are getting results,” explained Habas.

Atlético de Kolkata’s next assignment is a home game against Delhi Dynamos FC on Sunday October 19. With Habas at the helm, the side will is sure to be ready to continue their hot start to the season.