New Delhi, Dec 7 (UNI) Mohammedan Sporting Club head coach Andrey Chernyshov praised his players' efforts despite their loss to Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) match here on
Friday night.
Mohammedan SC created opportunities to take the lead in the first half, but it was Punjab FC who broke the deadlock in the second half with a goal from Luka Majcen. Filip Mrzljak later doubled their lead. Despite dominating possession and working to create chances, the Kolkata side struggled to capitalize in the final third.
The defeat marked Mohammedan SC's third consecutive loss and their seventh this season, despite putting in a spirited performance. Chernyshov acknowledged his players' hard work and resilience while also recognizing the progress made by their opponents, Punjab FC.
“I want to say thank you to my players. They played really well. We had so many chances to score, but we could not score. This is the problem. Also, we played against one of the best teams in the ISL. They are really very strong. Last season, they played the first part of the (league) championship not so well, but after some time, they started playing really well,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“Maybe, we could also do something like that. The other team didn't have that many chances, but they scored, and the result was not for us. But I'm happy to work with these players. They are so good. They gave it all, whatever they had. They did a great job. The result will come; only we have
to continue to work well,” he further explained.
Chernyshov also addressed the club's supporters, who have seen their team collect just five points this season. Four of those points came from their first three matches, including their first-ever ISL victory against Chennaiyin FC. The MSC head coach admitted that their early success raised fans’ expectations but assured them of a brighter future, promising to help Mohammedan SC win the ISL one day.
He said, “The supporters are really not happy because they watched our first few matches. We played really well, we put on good results, we won. We took some points and they started to
expect too much from us and they think now we can fight to win the ISL this season. But before
the ISL started, I told everyone, ‘Guys, don’t pressure us this season. This is our first season in
the ISL and we need to take the experience."
"We have so many young players. We have players without ISL experience, we need time.’ But some supporters call me every day, they send me good luck messages, saying, ‘We are with you, we support you.’ These are real supporters. I like these supporters and I respect them. I promised them before I came here (to India), before my first season, and I promised them we would win the
I-League, and I did this job," Chernyshov said.
"I did not speak like other people and did nothing. I am a person like that; if I say something, I will do it. Now when I speak, I promise that one day we will win the ISL. It may not be tomorrow, not after tomorrow, maybe in 2-3 seasons, but we need to continue to work,” he added.
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