ISL 2: ‘We deserve the semifinal spot,’ says Marco Materazzi

Chennai: The 4-0 drubbing of Delhi Dynamos comes as a breath of fresh air for Chennaiyin FC's World Cup winning coach Marco Materazzi, who says they deserve a semifinal spot in the second edition of the Indian Super League.

The team was back in the reckoning when they beat Delhi Dynamos FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday evening. This was their second successive win, having beaten Kerala Blasters FC 4-1 in their previous game.

Chennaiyin FC head coach Materazzi was happy with the turnaround. "Nothing changed for us. Against Atletico de Kolkata also, we could have won. We deserve the semifinal spot," the 42-year-old Italian said after the match.

With the win, Chennai moved up to fourth in the table on 16 points from 12 matches. With a goal difference of six, they were now only behind defending champions Atletico de Kolkata (7).

Materazzi said at this point of the league winning matches was more important. "Yes, goal difference is important but only when you are on the same points with other teams. The main thing is to win matches and go to Mumbai with a positive mind."

Materazzi showered praise on midfielder Raphael Augusto. "He is a champion and he plays like a champion. Good job by CFC to get him in the team. He deserves to play for the top clubs."

Materazzi didn't play star midfielder Elano in their last game, and last night he brought the Brazilian on as a substitute in the second half. "Elano is on the bench, he is also intelligent and knows what is important right now. Bruno Pelissari (who has been preferred over Elano in the last two games) is a good player. My decisions are to bring the best out of the team. I take decisions to help the club."

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