Indian Super League giant, ATK Mohun Bagan continue to play with all intensity, as it has implicitly sealed its playoffs berth, following a 2-0 win over former champion, Bengaluru FC. The match saw the goals coming from Roy Krishna and Marcelinho Pereira.
Although this was Marcelinho’s second goal in 11 games, he was delighted to have scored against Bengaluru, especially against Gurpreet Singh, who he rates as the best Indian goalkeeper in today’s date. Incidentally, it was also his first goal against him.
“Gurpreet Singh is the best goalkeeper in India. This is my first goal against him and I think it is another great goal scored from a free-kick. I am very happy and satisfied to be able to score such a goal. After the match, I also talked with Gurpreet about the goal. We laughed and joked for a long time,” he told ATKMB.
Speaking further on the goal, he surprisingly dedicated it to ATKMB head coach, Antonio Lopez Habas, who he believes has trained him in the best possible way. “I want to dedicate the goal and the Man of the Match award to our coach Antonio Lopez Habas because for the last one week he has been making me practise ‘set piece’ every day, especially free kicks. Two goals in three matches — the success I get in ATK Mohun Bagan is the result of the hard work of the practice sessions. The coach has put his trust in me. My teammates are also helping me; I have easily adjusted with them,” he recalled.
While the side still needs a win in the next game, against sixth-placed Jamshedpur FC, Marcelinho is eyeing the top spot to guarantee its playoffs spot. “Honestly, neither of us was worried about playing a match within just two days’ gap. Good sleep, rest and recovery have kept us all energized. The next match is against Jamshedpur. We will play another tough match. There are more matches this month. Our goal is to reach the top of the league by continuing the winning trend,” he concluded.
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