@sam I said "luck" because although we were extremely good and committed in our defence, there were moments when sheer luck saved us - like the shot of Amoez Ali bouncing off the crossbar, Referee not awarding a penalty against India despite a clear hand ball while defending that freek in second half, headers going wide, ball hitting side netting and Qataris generally forgetting their scoring shoes to this match. It was no doubt a heroic effort by our players but even you will agree that luck played a part.
Those are part and parcel of the game. Some decisions went against us also. I don't want to get started on that. We hit the bar, missed sitters in many matches which we lost or drew. Fortune favours the brave and we were heroic yesterday.
Udanta was gasping on the sidelines after three track backs. He missed a chance and couldn't cross or shoot when we had an opening. Yes he has blistering pace which everyone knows, but he doesn't bring anything else to the table. This guy used to be a genuine goal scoring striker, ruined at BFC.
The scoreline would have been embarrassing yesterday without the heroics of GSS. Bheke and Mandar remains the weak link and the less said about Borges the better. Again conceeded a free kick at a dangerous position yesterday.
It's a fantastic result for us, absolutely no doubt about that. However, we should not exaggerate the abilities of this team. We do have a few talented players however the rest are liabilities. We got away lucky yesterday, some dogged defending by Adil Sandesh, superman Gurpreet and Thapa pulling off his best game to date, with Sahal showing the Qataris that he will be threat to them when they come to India.
Mark my words, Afghanistan and Bangladesh matches are going to be tough af and we can't bring anything but our A-game. We will be punished otherwise.
DOHA (QATAR): As India became the fourth nation in 2019 to keep a clean slate against Asian champions Qatar, that too in an away match, the players in unison credited the result to current Head Coach of the Indian National Football Team Igor Stimac.
Stimac who coached Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 took charge of the Blue Tigers in May 2019, while as a player, he was part of the golden generation of Croatian squad which finished third in the FIFA World Cup 1998.
Mandar Rao Desai credited Stimac for bringing back the "positive vibes" in the dressing room which made a “great difference.”
"The coach did a lot of research on the opponents and gave us a lot of short videos to watch, and prepare. We watched them perhaps a million times,” Mandar informed. “At every step, he was there to guide us.”
"After the Oman result, it was not easy to play against Qatar. However, Coach motivated us all the time. He brought in a lot of positivity which was so crucial as everyone was low on morale,” he explained. “That’s what good coaches are capable of – lifting up the spirits with their belief, and confidence.”
Current AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2018-19 Abdul Sahal, who was omnipresent in the midfield initiating, and intercepting stated “we played as a team.”
“This is quite unbelievable,” he went on. "All the boys are really happy for the coach. He has brought in a lot of changes to our game. We understand we have to do more, and we will surely do more.”
"We defended well in the first half. That was important as we were facing the best team in Asia. At the interval, the coach told us to come out and attack, and enjoy our football. That motivated us further. We played it around, and stretched them while maintaining our shape all throughout.”
Midfielder Anirudh Thapa highlighted the result as the “most memorable moment for him in his career in an Indian jersey.”
"This has to rank at the top. Qatar are an extraordinary side and this was a qualifier match as well which makes the result even sweeter for us. I'm glad that we could come here to their home and return with points," he said.
“The coach has changed everything – things we do on and off the pitch. We are all so happy for him. I am happy we were able to make him proud with our performance. He guided, and helped us to achieve this.”
Central defender Adil Khan, who led by example couldn’t hide his emotions while looking back at the match. "Playing a team as strong as Qatar who have won all their matches against Asian sides in 2019, and not conceding a goal is special. The credit for the result goes to the entire team.”
"Stimac is building a good team. We are making good progress under him. I hope more and more fans start believing in him after this performance," he mentioned. "I can't control my emotions. I am getting goose bumps even thinking of the result. The self-belief in the team defines everything. I was in the National Team some seven years back, but it is a different set-up now,” he quipped, as his eyes became moist
Like I wrote yesterday I'm still lamenting the stimac surprise decision of not fielding sahal and making correct subs in the Oman game. Just imagine we would been on 4 points, at least 2. More importantly Oman would have been on 0 or 1. Would have been a massive advantage for us.
Ideal midfield for me would be Reynier, Thapa and Sahal in Midfield while Udanta and Soosairaj on the wings. I think if this combination is tried out then we will see a different type of football from our national team. Btw is the Bhubaneshwar stadium Fifa certified?
Comments
The scoreline would have been embarrassing yesterday without the heroics of GSS. Bheke and Mandar remains the weak link and the less said about Borges the better. Again conceeded a free kick at a dangerous position yesterday.
It's a fantastic result for us, absolutely no doubt about that. However, we should not exaggerate the abilities of this team. We do have a few talented players however the rest are liabilities. We got away lucky yesterday, some dogged defending by Adil Sandesh, superman Gurpreet and Thapa pulling off his best game to date, with Sahal showing the Qataris that he will be threat to them when they come to India.
Mark my words, Afghanistan and Bangladesh matches are going to be tough af and we can't bring anything but our A-game. We will be punished otherwise.