Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance after they secured a morale-boosting goalless draw against fourth-placed Odisha FC at home on Friday.

The Black and White Brigade, coming off five consecutive defeats, showed resilience and determination, taking control of the game from the start. The hosts raised their performance in the second half, and had it not been for Amrinder Singh’s brilliance in goal and the post denying them twice, the result could have swung in their favour.

Match Report: Mohammedan SC 0-0 Odisha FC

Chernyshov highlighted the reason for their inability to find the back of the net despite causing problems in the Odisha FC box.

“Sometimes in the game that we are maybe not lucky, the ball did not go into the goal post. Sometimes we are worried about doing something better when we are against the goalkeeper or against one defender,” Chernyshov said during the post-match press conference.

“But this is maybe about confidence. You know, players after this, so many lost matches, they go a little bit down and now maybe somebody does not believe that they are good players, but it's like that. But I hope in the New Year we will start to score,” he added.

A point on the night brought their season's tally to six points, although they remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the table, one point behind 12th-placed Hyderabad FC.

Mohammedan SC can surely take pride in the performance they put in against a formidable side like Odisha FC and aim to draw confidence from the game heading into their next match.

“I want to thank my players. They did a great job. They played nice football against one of the best teams in the ISL. I mean in terms of quality and football. Odisha FC may be the best team in terms of how they keep the ball, but we played really well. We showed how strong we are.

“As I said before, we need time, only time. From match to match comes confidence and then they also started to understand that they can do a great job in this league,” stated Chernyshov.

But the problems continued to mount for the newly promoted side in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Mirjalol Kasimov and captain Zodingliana Ralte picked up yellow cards and will serve a one-match ban against NorthEast United FC, while forward duo Franca and Cesar Manzoki both suffered injuries during the match.

“But now we need to think about what we have for the next match. Because some players will miss it because of cards, some players are injured. In a few days, we will know as we will have a report from the physio staff and then we will know what we have before the next match but sure this draw brings us more confidence before the next match,” said the head coach.

The winter transfer window is nearing, and Mohammedan SC will certainly look to bolster their squad in hopes of changing the direction of their season.

“I had a meeting with the management. They know what I want. I told them all. They have this list and they try to work to bring some experienced players to the team,” he commented.

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