Chennaiyin FC head coach Marco Materazzi has his feet on the ground despite a big 3-0 win in the first leg of their 2015 Hero Indian Super League semi-final against Atlético de Kolkata at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Saturday evening. The second leg will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 16 and Materazzi, at the post-match press conference, refused to write the defending champions off.“We had one chance in the first minute. They had their chances too. I won’t say it’s over and anything can happen but we are happy about the result,” the Italian told reporters.“No [it’s not a big result] because last year the same thing happened with Kerala. You can never know what will happen. They have a good team and in Kolkata, they have 60-70,000 people supporting them. So we will wait till the next game. I wish I could chill and relax but I don’t think you can do that and you have to wait till the last minute.”Materazzi added that ATK coach Antonio Lopez Habas was one reason why Chennaiyin won’t drop their guard in Kolkata. “Yes, that’s why I am saying I am not in the final yet. I know his potential and the kind of coach he is, you can expect everything from a good coach like him. As I said, we will talk when the next game is over. “Materazzi also praised his team for registering their fifth win in a row, an ISL record. “I think that despite the results, my guys are the best. What I am proud of is that we started as a group, now the same players are playing towards the end of the adventure. I feel sorry about what happened to Rafael Augusto and Ganesh Dhanpal [both injured] but I am really proud of my players.”When asked if he expected a physical encounter in Kolkata, Materazzi replied in the affirmative. “Yes, they are a physical team and I expect a physical game in the next one. But the good thing about my players is that they can adapt to any situation and if they have to play physical in the next game, they will.”“I didn’t expect this [result]. Kolkata, in two years, have never lost 3-0. They are a good compact team and that’s why I am so proud of my team right now.”
