Kolkata: Having ended Atletico de Kolkata's four-match winless streak by his stunning header, captain Luis Garcia on Tuesday said the side have got the much-needed confidence as they hit the road for four consecutive away games in the Indian Super League.
"It has given the confidence. We've been playing well and improving but were not able to find the target. But today we got the goal and three points, which was most important thing for me," said Garica, whose 51st minute header sealed the issue against NorthEast United FC in their return leg ISL fixture on Tuesday.
ATK went three points clear of Chennaiyin FC atop the standings to brighten their semifinal hopes but Garcia urged the need to stay grounded and said they're not thinking too far ahead.
"It's important to continue winning games. As we said at the beginning, we will try to win every game and that means no looking further than the next game. Our focus is just on the next game which is in three days' time. Obviously the main target is to play the final. We're just looking forward one game at a time. For us we are to try win every game, not look much further. focus is on the next game only," he said.
The former Liverpool star Garcia did a slight adjustment in his position coming up front in the second-half, something that yielded in the matchwinner as Garica beat NEUFC's Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevilla to head the ball into the back of the net.
"It was not exactly a big change. The coach told me to go a bit more higher. So we started pushing up a bit more and started creating more chances," the ATK captain, who was adjudged man of the match, said.
ATK coach Antonio Lopez Habas said they deserved to win three points and pointed out that they have been holding on to the pole position since day one of the league on October 12.
"The most important thing was to get three points. The fixture is very tight. We're on top from the beginning and today it was ninth round we're still at the top," Habas pointed out.
Ofentse Nato had to be substituted by Rakesh Masih in the 83rd minute with a shoulder injury and Habas said the midfielder would still travel with the side.
Habas, however, said their stopper Biswajit Saha has been ruled out for a week.
The win meant ATK, who had beaten NEUFC 2-0 in the first leg, had a full win record against the Guwahati franchise as they now travel to Kochi for their match against Kerala Blasters.
A disappointed NEUFC coach Ricki Herbert said it was unfortunate to return home losing the match after their dogged defence on the field.
"We gave away a sloppy goal unfortunately. To be fair, I did not see Kolkata coming close and scoring against us. To go away with a point would have been decent tonight," he rued.
NEUFC are placed sixth in the table with 10 points from nine outings as Herbert said they would look to bounce back in the upcoming two home games.
"The format is always challenging for all franchises. We have a couple of home games now, it's crucial to settle down and make an impact," he added.
NEUFC take on Delhi Dynamos FC and Chennaiyin FC in the back-to-back home games as they would look to bounce back from the five-match winless streak.
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