Franco Colomba (L) and Israil Gurung address the media after Pune City’s draw with Chennaiyin.Pune City’s unbeaten run continued after holding Chennaiyin to a draw at home today, maintaining their third-place position in the table. They rode their luck at times, with the woodwork coming to their rescue on two occasions, and they also benefited from league-leading scorer Elano’s first major miscue of the tournament, when he missed his penalty. Keeper Arindam Bhattacharya and Pune’s defence held firm throughout the match to keep Chennai’s strike force at bay. Head coach Franco Colomba was joined by winger Israil Gurung in addressing the media, and looked satisfied by the result of the day.Colomba praised his team for their performance against the highest-scoring team in the ISL. “It was a good point; one, good, point. We were up against a big team. They are strong; technically, physically and tactically. They have many big players but I’m happy with the way we played today. I can definitely say it’s not two points lost. It was a difficult match, and I’m satisfied how my team and defence played and it was my up to my expectation.”Pune City picked up a couple of injuries in the game in midfielder Lenny Rodrigues and defender and Captain Bruno Cirillo, to add to a list that includes Manish and John Goossens. The coach was not sure about the extent of the new injuries, but had to change tactics as a result. “I had planned to introduce (Jermain) Pennant at some point in the match, but could not do so due to the injury to Cirillo,” said Colomba. The coach also had a word on Goossens injury, saying “It’s true that’s John’s quality is important to our team, but we’ll see how it progresses and I’ll know in two weeks’ time.”There was always a threat that Elano would score in the match, but the Brazilian was unlucky, missing a penalty and then hitting the crossbar later in the first half. Colomba had special praise reserved for his opponent, dismissing claims that Elano seemed to become more influential only towards the end of the game. “It was not just at the end, because with such players you can’t control them, you can’t control a big player. Whether it’s the first minute or the 95th minute!”Pune are the only team to beat league leaders Atlético de Kolkata after their win in Kolkata in their last game, and followed up on that result with this draw against Chennai, making it two straight strong performances against the top two sides in the tournament. Colomba was not at all surprised by his team’s current form. “This is football, and it’s not impossible. When you believe that the match is easy, it’s not good. When you believe that the match is tough, there is a possibility you can win. Nothing is impossible,” he quipped.Israil Gurung benefited from Colomba’s faith in him, and the winger did not disappoint. When asked what changed over the weeks in his performances that prompted more confident displays, he replied cheekily, saying “Nothing has changed. I still have two legs and two hands!” But Gurung was quick to praise the coaches. “The coaches have been working a lot on our development behind the scenes. When you train with big players and coaches, there is a difference in quality, and we’ve gained a lot of knowledge in the past three weeks.”Gurung is known for his tireless play, running down the flank and providing crosses for the frontmen. He also almost scored today, and admits that he has been working on his finishing. But personal glory pales in front of the team’s, as the winger from the north-east part of the country said. “I’d be happy if I scored, but if the team wins I’m happier!”
