Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 6 : Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov admitted that his side were second best against defending ISL champions Mohun Bagan SG who gave them the taste of the top flight.
The Black and Whites lost 0-3 to the Mariners in the season's first Kolkata derby with all three goals being scored in the first half. Chernyshov's team were expected to pose a much tougher challenge for Jose Molina's team after their win against Chennaiyin FC in the last game, but the Russian admitted that his team was not at the level of their opponents.
"Today, Mohun Bagan SG showed (us) the true level of ISL. They played very well and have many quality players. I can't say that my team was very bad. We tried something, we fought but there was a big difference in quality between them and us," he said during the post-match press conference as quoted by the ISL official website.
"This can happen in football especially when you play against a strong team like Mohun Bagan SG, we have to be very good in our physical condition. Today we weren't. Maybe we were tired after these three games. We have to accept that the opponent was very good today. We can't do anything about it," he added.
Mohammedan SC were without midfielder Alexis Gomez for this match but Chernyshov believes the defeat wasn't down to his absence.
"Alexis played well in the first three matches but his absence is not the reason for our defeat. Maybe in the first few games our opponents didn't give their best as they maybe didn't take us seriously as we came from the I-League. But now teams have understood that Mohammedan SC is also strong and they are taking us more seriously," he said.
"But today, it was about the difference in quality. It was as if we drove Tata and they drove Ferrari," he reiterated.
The 56-year-old felt the match provided important lessons for his team who will have to improve their game in all aspects, if they are to compete well in the ISL.
"We learned today that we need to improve in every aspect. We need to be stronger, we need to have more quality, we need to be faster with the ball," he said.
"I don't think we made a mistake with team selection. These players won the last match. I feel the players did well today, I don't think I can complain about that," he concluded.