AGENCIES
MUMBAI
Mumbai City FC ended their league phase of the third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) with a draw against Delhi Dynamos on Saturday. The match ended goalless as the home side picked up their eighth clean sheet of the campaign.
Head coach Alexandre Guimaraes was delighted with the first spot on the points table. The Costa Rican believed that his team were very consistent in the tournament and deserved the top position. ''I think today we accomplished one of our goals. As we started our tournament, we knew we had the chance not only to qualify but also to get the first spot on the table. We were always in the top four. We have been stable during the season. Our style of game allows us to be on the top,'' he remarked.
The manager was pleased with the squad's impressive form in this chapter of the league and applauded them. ''I am proud of everyone at Mumbai City FC. They have done a fantastic job.
We played fantastic football and scored fantastic goals. We also earned the record of eight clean sheets. So, I am really proud,'' the 57-year-old said.
Despite grabbing just a point from a possible three, Guimaraes seemed satisfied with it. The former Al Wasl gaffer stated that the performance has helped them to retain their confidence ahead of the semi-finals. ''We repeated a good performance today. What is important for us is that, today we got our confidence back on the home pitch and it helps since we are going to end the semi-finals at home. When we came back from Goa, we had three very good games here (at Mumbai). We scored well and did not allow the opponents to score,'' he discussed.
Indian ace Sunil Chhetri was rested for the fixture as the coach didn't wish to risk with his fitness, especially with the semi-finals just round the corner. ''I didn’t want to take risk with players who weren’t fully fit. So I spoke to him (Chhetri) during the week, and we decided to rest him as he needs to continue his rehab for the first leg of the semi-finals,'' he explained.
Youngster Udanta Singh made his debut against the the Lions. The Bengaluru FC lad impressed the boss who praised his efforts. ''I am very happy for him because he was one of the players who hadn’t got the chance to play since a long time. He managed to play the whole game today and that’s not easy. He showed some interesting things and skills today. He is a player I can count on,'' Guimaraes said.
Lastly, the Mumbai boss commented on goalkeeper Amrinder Singh's performance. Guimaraes complimented the 27-year-old saying that he has been commendable with the gloves. ''Three games and zero goals - that speaks for itself. He has been fantastic. He has been showing a lot of character. He is always well positioned. He often talks to the defence and organises them well. I am happy with him,'' Guimaraes signed off.
