Zico
Hours away from the home semi-final and we are feeling the atmosphere building up, having come back to Goa. The game in New Delhi, while not ideal, was not a disaster by any means. It was a tough game between two very good sides and we expect a similar battle here. Delhi Dynamos FC are an aggressive side and have an excellent coach guiding them. But it’s a different game and a different day on Tuesday.
Delhi Dynamos are a very strong team at home. We were the first team to beat them there this year and the first semi-final proved how hard they are a team to beat in their own backyard. They threw everything they had at us and we came away with just a single goal deficit. And things could have been very different. Both teams had great chances and it could have been three goals apiece on another day. But that’s football for you. The reality is that we are a single goal down and I don’t consider this a loss. Because this is a game of 180 minutes and we are only at the halfway stage here.
Credit goes to Roberto Carlos and his team for their performance in New Delhi, but now we all know that the game is being played with the advantage on our side. Going into the next game, we will stick to our principles. We have got this far by doing so and meandering away from that would be foolhardy. We expect Delhi Dynamos to feel the pressure as they will play in front of a partisan crowd who will have the single task of cheering on our team. The crowd here has been amazing throughout the season and it’s a daunting challenge for any team coming to play us at Fatorda.
The difference currently is only a single goal. And we know that a split second can change all that. We will go out there focused and united in our objective. The team knows that we are only 90 minutes away from making this final and we had made it our objective right at the beginning of the season. So the effort and intensity will be there on our part and we hope that the crowd come out in numbers and get right behind the team.
If we play to the potential that I know we are capable of, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to make the final.
Meanwhile, I must congratulate Chennai for what was a very good performance the other day against Atletico De Kolkata. They executed their game plan very well and the three goals were all very well worked. I am sure that the people in Chennai, who have been suffering from the floods, have something to smile about and are delighted with the result. Atletico De Kolkata will have their work cut out for them in the next match to try and get back, but I wouldn’t discount them just yet.
