ISL 2021: My team had the character and intensity – Antonio Lopez Habas

ATK Mohun Bagan has sealed their berth in the final of the Hero Indian Super League 2021 as they defeated NorthEast United by 2-1 (aggregate 3-2) in the second leg of the semi-final at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday. David Williams, who had scored in the first leg, opened the account in the 38th minute for the Mariners.

Manvir Singh then doubled ATK Mohun Bagan’s lead as he scored a fine goal with his left foot in the 68th minute. However, NorthEast United was able to get one back after Suhair Vadakkepeedika scored in the 74th minute after poor goalkeeping from Arindam Bhattacharja.

ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Lopez Habas was delighted by the performance of his players and stated his team showed the character and intensity to come out as winners.

“Very happy with the performance of the players and the staff. The team had good character. This is more important when the team is not playing well. There are a lot of things in football, and one of them is character and intensity and my team had that,” said the Spanish head coach.

Meanwhile, the Mariners were on the attack from the outset and Habas revealed that the strategy was to go for the win inside the 90 minutes.

“…The idea was to win the match and not to draw. We didn’t have to go to extra time. The players are very tired because of the humidity and the idea was that we didn’t want to go into extra time,” he said.

On the other hand, Habas heaped praise on the opposition and stated they are a difficult team to beat as they have good players both in defense as well as offense. However, Habas stated his team was better and deserved to win.

“NorthEast United FC had a fantastic season. They are a difficult team. They have strong players in attack and defense and the central midfield. I think that we were superior, we were better and we deserved the victory,” said Habas.

The final of the Hero ISL will be played between Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday at the Fatorda Stadium.