(Football news) Mumbai City FC, looking to gain more momentum in the ongoing Super Cup, turn their attention to their upcoming match against NorthEast United FC on Saturday after a spirited 2-1 victory over Churchill Brothers.

The Islanders’ all-Indian team is bursting with confidence after they defeated the I League team from Goa 2-1 in their first group stage match in the domestic cup competition by effectively breaching a staunch Churchill Brothers defence.

Des Buckingham’s team displayed outstanding tenacity to win the match after falling behind early on by one goal, with great individual efforts coming from players like Hardik Bhatt, Vikram Pratap Singh, Mehtab Singh, and Rowlin Borges.

Vikram Pratap Singh, a dynamic striker, and Hardik Bhatt, a right back from Mumbai, discussed the team’s preparation for the Super Cup and their chances in the competition prior to their second match against NorthEast United.

Hardik was delighted to have the opportunity to play for Mumbai City FC, his local club, in a prestigious competition after the victory over Churchill Brothers. “It’s always great to be on the pitch, especially since I was on the pitch after quite some time. I did not want the game to get over, I was just enjoying myself so much! It was a great win and a great start to our Super Cup campaign. It was also a good opportunity to review our strengths and weaknesses early on in the tournament”, said Hardik.

The 25-year-old discussed the team’s performance and the things he was proud of, but he also acknowledged that there were other areas that needed development, which he would work to prioritise.“Our performance was good but we did make a few mistakes. As a team, we are never fully satisfied with our performance. There’s always something that we can work on. We’re always ready to put in the work because we want to get better with each game – something the coach has instilled in us.”

Vikram Partap Singh, another member of his team, reiterated Hardik’s optimism over the Islanders’ Super Cup chances. “The first game was important for us, we are feeling good after the victory. It is a huge opportunity for a lot of us, so everybody wants to give their best performance”, said Vikram.

“If you look at our players, most of them are one of the best, if not the best, in their respective positions in India. Us, as a group, we have a great understanding with each other so we believe we are a strong team that can achieve a lot. Coach Buckingham has also helped us to push ourselves constantly as a unit so that we can be the best versions of ourselves”, added the 21-year old.

Hardik Bhatt said they will continue to prepare consistently and tackle each game on its own merit in order to win the match against NorthEast United and the following match against Chennayin FC. He said that, “We always approach games in a similar fashion. We do analyse their games as well, but we choose to focus on our game and concentrate on how we can progress and develop our games even more. We don’t focus too much on how they are going to play but we try to focus on what we do. The focus is on us and that’s how we’re going to take it. So, it’s just another game and we must do what we do best, and push till the last minute.”

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