Hugo Boumous was beaming when he walked into the media room for the postmatch news conference on Saturday. And he had every reason to.

A good performance, the first goal and the Player of the Match award for ATK Mohun Bagan against East Bengal were something you do not get to do very often.

The 2-0 win, seventh on the trot for ATK Mohun Bagan, has propelled the green and maroon brigade to the fourth spot in the ISL points table. Outside ATK Mohun fans were still celebrating, chanting his name.

“This (the goal) is for the fans. The atmosphere was amazing. I want to give them a huge thanks and I hope to see them again with the stadium fully packed. Not only against East Bengal but also against other teams,” the 27-year-old French-Moroccan said.

“For me, goals or assists are not important. My job is to contribute to the team’s success,” he added.

ATK Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando praised Manvir Singh, who scored the second goal, and right-back Asish Rai.

“Manvir didn’t start the season well but now he’s improving with every match. Talking about Asish, he is one of the best right-backs in the country at this point in time.”

Keeper gets support

East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine did not blame Kamaljit Singh for the defeat. Singh’s howler dealing with Boumous’s low shot was the turning point as East Bengal never recovered after that.

“It was the goalkeeper and, on some other day, it could be someone else. We cannot blame the keeper (Singh) alone. We created enough opportunities and had we made an impact with those chances, then, of course, the result would have been different,” he said.

“ATK Mohun Bagan were clinical in front of the goal while we were not. That was the game.”

The former national team coach, however, said the loss doesn’t mean it’s all over. “No one is going to win the championship or make the playoffs in October, November or December. We’ve improved in the last four games. Let’s see what happens in February.”

Three points

Jamshedpur FC secured their first victory beating NorthEast United 1-0 in Jamshedpur on Sunday.

Skipper Peter Hartley scored the only goal as NorthEast United recorded their worst-ever start to an ISL season with their fourth consecutive loss.

The hosts received a defensive boost when Hartley returned to the starting line-up and Eli Sabia dropped to the bench.

The Highlanders did well to keep Jamshedpur at bay till the half-hour mark. A minute later, the Red Miners found the breakthrough.

Harry Sawyer rose highest to head Wellington Priori’s corner towards goal. His effort landed at the feet of Hartley, and the Jamshedpur FC skipper calmly side-footed the ball into the back of the net.