Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 16 (ANI): Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov commended his players’ second-half comeback as they came from two goals down to seal a point against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Wednesday, the league’s website reported.
The Marina Machans broke the deadlock in the 10th minute with P. C. Laldinpuia’s inch-perfect header, powered by Connor Shields’ precise corner kick. Despite Mirjalol Kasimov missing a penalty in the first half, both teams created several chances throughout the opening 45 minutes.
Lukas Brambilla doubled the lead for Owen Coyle’s side in the early minutes of the second half, maintaining the strong start in their away fixture. However, the Black and White Brigade fought till the end, staging a solid comeback with two stoppage-time goals to salvage another crucial point.
Manvir Singh, who recently joined the Kolkata giants, scored his first goal for Mohammedan SC in the 95th minute. In the final action of the match, Lalremsanga Fanai converted a well-directed penalty to equalize, securing a point from a losing position for the first time in the ISL.
Chernyshov acknowledged the challenges posed by Chennaiyin FC, who fought toe-to-toe with the hosts. However, he also emphasized that his players were well-prepared and executed their game plans perfectly on the pitch.
“We understand that we played against a physically strong team. They are really strong, and they run too much during the match. They have players who can give good crosses and who can give a good ball from set pieces. We were ready for that. We started very well because we had our plan; we knew how to play against them,” Chernyshov said in the post-match press conference as quoted by an ISL press release.
“But again, they did this so well in the set pieces, and we conceded the goal. We could have come back with a penalty, but we did not score. But we controlled the match; we had a chance to score, but the first half was like that,” he continued.
The Russian head coach shared details of his halftime pep talk, which motivated the Mohammedan SC players, lifting their spirits and fighting mentality.
In this context, Chernyshov revealed “We spoke very well after the first half in the dressing room. We told the players, ‘Please believe we can change the match; we can score.’ They came like that, but again, it was an easy mistake, and it was 0-2. But we believed we played very well. These players are really very strong; I am so happy to work with them. I can only tell them thank you very much for fighting for this match.”
“I also spoke with my assistants; we brought in some new players for the last minutes, and they made this result. They fought until the last minute, and they deserved this point; this is really nice,” he further added.
Chernyshov thanked the loyal fanbase, who once again showed up in numbers, offering much-needed support throughout the game with their lively chants and strong presence.
“Every time we play for our supporters,” he remarked.
“But today we played more for our supporters because, in the last few days, they supported us so much; they stayed behind us, and we want to give them something good; we want to make them happy, and I think we did this,” Chernyshov signed off. (ANI)
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