FC Pune City registered a thumping victory in their first away match of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 against defending Champions ATK to win 4-1 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Hero ISL 2016’s Golden Boot winner Marcelinho was at the top of his game as he finished the match with two goals and two assists. Rohit Kumar and Emiliano Alfaro were the other scorers for Pune.

Speaking to the media in the post-match press conference, Popovic was all praise for Pune’s captain. "Marcelinho played well and scored two goals only because of the team. He is, of course, one of the best players in the league. Last game his performance wasn't up to the mark but today he was great," he said.

He also seemed delighted at how his team left behind their loss to Delhi Dynamos FC in the previous match and rose to the occasion. "I told this yesterday, that we will try to play the same type of football. Last game we played well but didn't win. Today it was different. More compact. I told the boys to play as a unit. The second goal changed the game. They had scored two minutes before that. I didn't expect four goals but I am very happy. When you win it's strategic when you lose, it's not. The opportunity came and we got the three points. The key moment was Rohit's (Kumar) goal," explained the Serbian.

Even after Pune’s resounding victory, Popovic did not think ATK was a team to take lightly. "They (ATK) are a good side. They have won the title twice, we didn't. On the basis of one game, you cannot criticise them. Every game is different. They have sixteen more games like us. There is a lot of scope," he said.

Just before leaving, Popovic gushed about the atmosphere are the majestic stadium. "It is obviously nice winning 4-1. I was very excited about the ambience. I am jealous that I don't have such an amazing ambience (at home in Pune). The atmosphere was amazing. It was like playing a World Cup or a Champions League game," he concluded.