CFC players confident after Goa win

Chennaiyin coach Marco Materazzi had always emphasised on full points at home that would be instrumental in the team’s progress to the knock out stage. Materazzi had earlier said he would ask his players to show the passion to win before they took the field for Thursday’s match. After successfully thwarting a tepid Goa’s resistance, mid-fielder Baljit Sahni said the team was happy to be on the right side of the result. “It’s good to be on the winning side. We played as a team and didn’t give FC Goa many open chances to score,” he said. 

Goalkeeper Karanjit Singh added, “We played the last match against Delhi Dynamos badly and all of us felt that loss. So, this game, we worked hard and decided to give our best. This win has given us a lot of confidence.” While Karanjit’s saves helped Chennaiyin hold on to the lead, Baljit missed out on scoring a goal in the second half. “I should have scored that goal. It is not often that we get such opportunities,” he said, adding that his focus was to strengthen Chennaiyin’s defense. “Whether I play in the centre or on the side, I want to help the defence as much as possible. Sometimes, Jayesh Rane plays on the right, so I have to cover the left flank. We have that understanding between us and it depends on the team’s position,”  concluded Baljit.