Kolkata, September 17
Mohammedan SC (MSC) head coach Andrey Chernyshov expressed satisfaction with the team's fighting attitude despite going down to NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) in their debut Indian Super League (ISL) game at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Monday.
Moroccan striker Alaeddine Ajaraie came from the bench in the second half and scored the winner as the Black and White Brigade suffered a 0-1 defeat.
However, Chernyshov's men presented strong challenges against the Durand Cup 2024 winners, with the scores even until the 93rd minute in Kolkata. The I-League champions also dominated the ball possession (61%), maintaining an 81% passing accuracy.
The likes of Alexis Gomez, Mirjalol Kasimov, and Franca created a couple of chances for the hosts, but a lack of precision in the final third cost the Kolkata-based side.
Chernyshov acknowledged that scoring goals was an issue for them in the game but stated that they could leave the field with all three points if they capitalised on their opportunities.
"We could have won this match also. I said before that we need to take this ISL experience," Chernyshov said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ISL.
"I think we did not play bad. We also created some good chances. We did not score, but they scored. This is where we need to work. We need to work on how we can score goals. I'm happy with how my team played; they kept fighting and running," he added.
The head coach remains optimistic about his team and believes they will deliver better performances as the season progresses.
Sharing his assessment of playing their first-ever ISL match, Chernyshov remarked, "Many people were worried about our first match because we are (moving) from I-League to ISL. There is a big difference between I-League and ISL. But we came to the ground and played nice football with many good actions."
"We made some mistakes, and we need to be better there in the next matches," he continued.
Mohammedan SC take on FC Goa in their next league fixture. The Russian urged his players to work hard to present ample challenges for other teams in the league.
"We are here (in the ISL) not only to gift points to other teams. If they want to take points, they need to fight against us like NorthEast United FC did today," he stated.
"We continue to work and hope to be better match by match and start taking points," Chernyshov signed off, sharing their target for the upcoming match against FC Goa.