Head coach Juan Ferrando has urged ATK Mohun Bagan to be at their best for the AFC Cup 2022 inter-zone semi-finals after the Indian Super League side advanced to the knockout stage in emphatic fashion on Tuesday.
Ferrando's charges were in the spectacular form before their fans at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, scoring a 5-2 win over Maziya Sports & Recreation of the Maldives.
The victory completed an amazing comeback for ATK Mohun Bagan, who were defeated 4-2 by fellow Indian side Gokulam Kerala FC before bouncing back with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh champions Bashundhara Kings.
Ferrando said he was happy that ATK Mohun Bagan had silenced their critics by advancing to their second successive Inter-Zone semis.
"I'm happy for the players, the supporters and for the club. For the last six days, we've read a lot of disappointing reports about my team. Big scorelines and stats prove that we are a big club, not only on the pitch but also off it as a club," said Ferrando as per afc.com.
If anything, the Inter-Zone Semi-finals will be even tougher with ATK Mohun Bagan having first-hand experience last season when they lost 6-0 to Uzbekistan's FC Nasaf at the same stage.
"It's a good challenge for the club, the Inter-Zone Semi-finals are not going to be easy. We need to do our best, in front of us is a fresh challenge. The club, team and players all need to learn together and grow for the next challenge," Ferrando added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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