Mumbai City FC remained in the hunt for a playoff berth after picking up a crucial 2-1 victory away at ATK in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at Kolkata on Sunday.
The win leaves Alexandre Guimaraes’ men on 20 points, level on points with sixth-placed FC Goa and six points behind Jamshedpur FC who currently occupy the fourth spot.
The win breaks a sequence of two consecutive losses for the Mumbai outfit and their Costa Rican coach emphasized how important Sunday’s victory was in the context of their league campaign.
“It was a very important win. We didn't get the reward in previous games. Today they did (get the reward). Secondly, it kept us alive. It is not easy to come here and win. Reaction after they equalised was good. It shows winning character,” Guimaraes said when asked what the result meant for this side.
The Mumbai City coach also explained why he had consigned Balwant Singh on the bench and said that it was a tactical decision to hold back the forward.
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“Balwant was a Plan B in case we needed it. I have given too much responsibility to young players. I analyse that and then made a decision. If Thiago (Santos) was not hurt, he would also have come off the bench which would put other teams on the back-foot,” Guimaraes explained.
Sehanj Singh picked up his sixth booking of the season in Sunday’s clash and the Costa Rican attributed that tendency to the midfielder’s passion for the game.
“As a coach you have to understand the kind of player he (Sehnaj) is and the passion he has for the game. Otherwise, he would be doing something else and not playing football. He played right-back and also centre-midfield, that shows his versatility. Raju Gaikwad and Sahil Tavora are also the same kind of players. Sometime we might lose him in games and that is something we knew from the beginning,” Guimaraes stated.
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