ISL 2020-21 playoffs: Antonio Lopez Habas hails ATK Mohun Bagan's character after sealing final berth

ATK Mohun Bagan finished second in the Indian Super League 2020-21 table, while NorthEast United FC ended third. NEU continues to wait for its maiden ISL title, while ATKMB is making its debut this season and is off to the final, as ATK was the defending champion before MB merger.

Playoffs Antonio Lopez Habas hails ATK Mohun Bagan's character after sealing final berth-ayh

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Bengaluru, First Published Mar 10, 2021, 12:25 PM IST | Last Updated Mar 10, 2021, 12:25 PM IST

There was no stopping ATK Mohun Bagan, as the season debutant edged past NorthEast United FC 2-1 in the second leg of the semis of the Indian Super League 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. With a 3-2 aggregate win, it has sealed its place in the final, where it takes on Mumbai City FC.

As for the game, David Williams put ATKMB ahead in the 30th minute, followed by Manvir Singh, who doubled it in the 68th. Meanwhile, Suhair VP pulled one back for NEU in the 74th, but no avail, as ATKMB edged past for the win.

Following the game, ATKMB boss Antonio Lopez Habas hailed the character of his side in the win. "The team had a good character today. In the first 45 minutes, the team was a lot superior to the opponent and maybe we had chances to score 2-3 goals. I think the team absolutely deserves to be in the final," he said, reports Sportstar.

ALSO READ: ATK Mohun Bagan sets final date after edging past NorthEast United FC

Meanwhile, Williams was delighted with the win, stating that the hard work has paid off. "It was a very satisfying win. We worked five months for this without fans and without our families. It's been a difficult, difficult situation to come all this way and we can't give up. We kept going and were disappointed two weeks ago, but the whole squad dug in deep today. Krishna keeps giving to the team. Everyone did really well and the defence was strong as well," he reckoned.

Playoffs Antonio Lopez Habas hails ATK Mohun Bagan's character after sealing final berth-ayh

In the meantime, NEU interim manager Khalid Jamil credited his side's hard work, besides ruing tactical error that led to its downfall in this tie. "The team worked very hard and I am very proud of them. Today's result is my mistake, it was a tactical one. The first half, we didn't start very. We added another striker, Brown, in the second half and played a 4-4-2 formation and we put pressure. From that, we tried to play long balls from the wings and I think this clicked for us. I am very proud of the boys and I want to thank the management," he concluded.

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