Andrey Chernyshov reflects on what went wrong for Mohammaden SC in ISL bow

Andrey Chernyshov was happy with his team’s performance.

In Game Week 1 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season, NorthEast United FC edged past debutants Mohammedan SC at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Monday evening. Alaeddine Ajaraie’s late winner from Thoi Singh’s set-up within the 18-yard box in injury time was enough for the visitors to clinch a victory and start their campaign on a positive note, securing NorthEast United FC the bragging rights for a second time straight after triumphing in the Durand Cup 2024.

Andrey Chernyshov was happy with the way his team performed. The gaffer feels that with time, they will improve their physicality and skillset to convert the chances created in the attacking third since the tournament is tough, and it’s just the beginning, so they have got room for improvement too at this moment. Players fitness and lack of proper pre-season was an issue for the team. In his words, “We want to be here not only to give points to other teams, but if they want to take points from us, they need to fight with all they have.”

Reflecting on post-match, Andrey Chernyshov said, “This is a completely different level. I think we did play on a positive note. We also created some good chances. But we couldn’t score, and they scored. This is all about where we need to work on ourselves.

“We will work on this and try to figure out how we can make it count. But about the quality, I’m really happy with how my team played throughout. Many people were worried about our first game because we were from the I-League.

“As I said before, there is a huge difference between the I-League and ISL. But we came out on the field and played positive football with a few noteworthy moments. It was only our first game, and therefore there were mistakes. We will make some necessary changes and hope to perform better in our upcoming game.”

As another challenge tumbles for the debutants later this week, Mohammedan SC will take on FC Goa at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on September 21, 2024, in their second game of the Indian Super League 2024-25 season.

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