Wadoo on Kolkata Derby defeat, Kasimov’s red card and lack of motivation
The Mohammedan SC assistant coach was pleased with his players' efforts despite a heavy defeat to league leaders Mohun Bagan SG, marking their 11th loss of the season.

Mohammedan Sporting Club assistant coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo commended his players' efforts despite a tough defeat to Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.
Mohammedan SC endured a poor start, conceding three goals in the first half — two from Subhasish Bose and one from Manvir Singh. Their situation worsened in injury time of the opening half when Mirjalol Kasimov received a red card, leaving the home side with 10 men. Singh extended the Mariners' lead in the second half, sealing an emphatic victory in the end.
Despite the loss, Wadoo praised his team's effort but acknowledged that coming back into the game after going a man down before halftime was always going to be a difficult task.
“We knew that Mohun Bagan SG is a good team and it would be difficult on the pitch. But we conceded three goals from set-pieces and also that red card in the first card. And when you are one man down against a team like Mohun Bagan SG, you can understand how difficult it is. But the boys gave their best, in the second half, they tried to keep the discipline (while defending). They created chances, but could not convert. Mohun Bagan SG were the better team today,” he said in the post-match press conference.
Kasimov, one of the team’s most influential players and top scorers this season, was sent off after a kick on Tom Aldred. His absence significantly impacted Mohammedan SC’s attacking capabilities, with the team registering just two shots on target and Wadoo felt that the red card could have been avoided.
“I was not expecting that. You want to play for the team and you somehow take that red card. You should be responsible because playing against Mohun Bagan SG with 10 men is going to be difficult for any team in the league. Not only Mohammedan SC,” Wadoo responded.
Mohammedan SC continue to languish at the bottom of the table, having suffered 11 defeats, joint-most alongside Hyderabad FC. While they had remained unbeaten since the start of the year, winning one of their three games, they have now endured back-to-back losses. Wadoo acknowledged that his players need more motivation as they prepare for the final stretch of the season
“We try to motivate the players. We had a few training sessions. But we still have to work on the motivation part because the players look a little bit low. We need to work in our training sessions and apart from the training sessions, we need to speak to the players. This season has been like that for us. Now, we cannot think what went wrong in the last game or this game. We need to focus on the coming games, give our best and finish the season on a good note,” he said.