Atlético de Kolkata head coach Jose Molina wasn’t too disheartened following a 2-1 defeat by FC Pune City at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Balewadi on Sunday evening. Eduardo Ferreira and Anibal Rodriguez scored for the Stallions, while Iain Hume scored the consolation goal for the visitors. It was ATK’s second loss of the 2016 Hero Indian Super League but despite the defeat there was no change in their position in the standings, third with 12 points from eight games.

“I think maybe we didn’t do a great job but we did a good job. The players tried, fought and defended well. In the first half, we had a good 40 minutes and we penetrated the Pune box many times and then they found a goal from set-piece. Probably, that was the first time they got near our box. That boosted their confidence and we lost our confidence a bit. In the second half, we tried again but they scored another on the counter, with a penalty. I think we played the match well and I think with the few chances that they had, they did very well and scored,” Molina told reporters after the match.

“We are playing well. Today we couldn’t win, that’s sad. But we will not become crazy about one result. We are working in the right way and we will try to continue that. Defeat is part of the game. In football, you can’t always win. There will be some results that go against you. But we will work, we will try to win every game and approach every game positively with a fighting spirit. Sometimes you lose, but it’s ok to keep working and we look forward to our next match.”

This was the first time that FC Pune City head coach Antonio Habas came face-to-face against his former team. Emotions ran high during the contest and consequently there were quite a few rough challenges. Commenting on that, Molina said: “Before the match we spoke about it. They obviously had to stop us and they did that. But if the referee doesn’t take action then they will obviously continue to do it. I don’t like to talk about the referees but it’s the referee who can stop the action on the pitch. We tried to play our football. They stopped us with force, but obviously what else can we do other than keep playing? It’s not our job to stop it, it’s the referee’s. He has to do his job.”

Molina also defended his team formation (4-4-1-1) for the match. “Maybe I could be wrong but I fielded the team that I thought was best suited for today. I am absolutely sure, with the players we have, the best formation is the formation we used today. We played a good match, maybe not the best but a good match. We will continue to work hard and try to win the next match.”

The 46-year-old Spaniard also explained why he didn’t start midfielder Javi Lara for today’s game. “I try to play the best team for each game. Today we went a different way. I can only have six foreigners on the pitch. I can’t play all, I have to choose. Today I decided to have him on the bench and we brought him on when he felt he could help us,” Molina said.

ATK now travel to New Delhi to play Delhi Dynamos FC on November 13.