Ahmedabad, Gujarat: India’s desperate attempt in the second half wasn’t enough as they went down 2-5 to DPR Korea in their second match of the Hero Intercontinental Cup at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad on Saturday (July 13).

With two losses in as many games, India still have a chance of making it to the final, provided they beat Syria by a huge margin in their next match, and hope Tajikistan beat DPR Korea in the other.

While Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Sunil Chhetri scored one each to reduce the margin for India, DPR Korea captain Jong Il Gwan was the star of the show scoring two, and assisting another. Furthermore, Sim Hyon Jin, and Ri Un Chol, and Ri Hyon Kin scored one apiece for the winners.

Indian National Team Head Coach Igor Stimac said that there was “courage, and confidence on display in the second half.”

“In the second-half, we came out with out with heads up. We had the courage, and confidence when we decided to play football. In the first-half, we played without courage and self- confidence,” he stated in the post-match press conference.

“I gave the players the chance to play for India and asked them to enjoy their football. But if you do not show courage, and fight you cannot win,” he added.

“In the second-half, we started taking responsibility, and created chances. We were dangerous in front of their goal. But it was difficult to keep shape, and go up and down continuously. But I’m proud of the way they played,” the Coach explained.

Down 0-3 in the first half, a couple of changes by India Head Coach Igor Stimac at half-time brought back the thrust for India. The introduction of Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Udanta Singh in place of Manvir Singh, and Brandon Fernandes provided India the much-needed impetus.

The Blue Tigers pulled one back soon when Sunil Chhetri latched on to a stray ball, and played Chhangte through the channel. The latter, took control, and smashed it into the bottom corner. However, Ri Chol soon added a fourth for Korea, after being played through by captain Gwon.

In the 71st minute, Sunil Chhetri managed another one for India – his 71st International goal off a cross from Udanta.

India next play Syria in their last group league match on July 16.

(AIFF Media)

Final Score: India 2 (Lallianzuala Chhangte 51’, Sunil Chhetri 71’) lost to DPR Korea 5 (Jong Il Gwan 8’, 29’, Sim Hyon Jin 16’, Ri Un Chol 63’, Ri Hyon Jin 90+2’)

Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Tajikistan completed a comeback to beat India 4-2 despite a good effort in the first half by the Blue Tigers, in the first match of the Hero Intercontinental Cup at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad, on Sunday, July 7, 2019.

Sunil Chhetri scored a first-half brace, but Tajikistan struck back in the second half to score four goals and take the three points on the night.

India had the perfect start to the Hero Intercontinental Cup that they would have been hoping for, as Mandar Rao Dessai played Lallianzuala Chhangte through inside the box. The left winger came under a heavy challenge as the referee pointed to the spot. Captain Sunil Chhetri stepped up to the spot and placed a Panenka into the top-right corner to hand India the early lead.

Tajikistan took some initiative after conceding early and went on to put some pressure on the Indian defence. In the However, Anirudh Thapa and Amarjit Singh Kiyam stepped up their defensive game to foil the opportunities.

A little after the quarter hour mark, Tajikistan had the perfect opportunity to equalise, when Komron Tursonov went through on goal. However, his shot went inches wide of goal. A little after the half-hour mark, Adil Khan did brilliantly to keep India ahead as he cleared a header after a melee inside the box.

Chhetri put India two goals ahead just ahead minutes before the half-time whistle, netting his 70th goal in International football. Udanta galloped down the right wing right up to the goal-line, sold a dummy and crossed it in. His cross had a bit too much power, but Chhangte managed to get on to the ball on the lar left flank. The winger placed a perfect low cross at Chhetri’s feet, who toe-poked it into the top-left corner.

Tajikistan came out with great gusto in the second half, and pulled one back within the first 10 minutes of the restart. Komron Tursonov was played through on goal, as he galloped past the defence. While his initial shot was blocked by India keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, he got on the rebound and scored from a tight angle.

Tursonov played a vital part in the putting India back in the game, as his cross from the right found Sheriddin Boboev who merely hat to tap it in past Adil and Gurpreet. Soon after, Muhammadjon Rahimov powered through the defence and slotted it past Gurpreet to put Tajikistan in the lead.

Tajikistan had more, Panshanbe Ehsoni crossed it in for substitute Shahrom Samiev to volley it in for the fourth.

India’s second-half substitute Rowllin Borges, who replaced Sahal, had the opportunity to pull one back when Udanta crossed it in to him, but the midfielder skied his effort, as the match ended with a two-goal victory for Tajikistan as the full-time scoreline read 4-2.

(AIFF Media)

The Team

India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Mandar Rao Dessai, Narender Gahlot, Adil Khan, Rahul Bheke, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Anirudh Thapa (83′ Farukh Choudhary), Sahal Abdul Samad (79′ Sahal Abdul Samad), Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri (C) (88′ Jobby Justin)

Final Score: India 2 (Sunil Chhetri 3′ P, 41′) lost to Tajikistan 4 (Komron Tursonov 56′, Sheriddin Boboev 58′, Muhammadjon Rahimov 71′, Shahrom Samiev 75′) 

Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Indian National Team Head Coach Igor Stimac named a list of 25 for India’s campaign in the forthcoming Hero Intercontinental Cup slated to kick-off at the EKA Arena, Ahmedabad from July 7.

Defending champions India take on Tajikistan in their first match on the opening day, while Syria and DPR Korea are the other two participating teams. All teams will play each other once with the top two making it to the final. All matches kick-off at 8pm.

Stimac stated that “all players worked really hard at the preparatory camp in Mumbai.”

“We are satisfied with the execution of work for the past ten days,” he informed. “The players worked really hard, and we are all very enthusiastic about our upcoming games,” he added.

Mark your calendars 📅, the #HeroIC just 2️⃣ days away! 😃🤩

Book your tickets here 👉 https://t.co/7T5qi7ApfW#IndianFootball #BackTheBlue #BlueTigers 🐯 pic.twitter.com/fMoOFbKz18

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 5, 2019

Indian Arrows defender Narender Gahlot was named in the list along with Mandar Rao Dessai. The list will be cut down to 23 prior to the kick-off of the tournament. The Blue Tigers land in Ahmedabad tomorrow (July 6, 2019).

Stimac, who coached Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 expressed, “all our work has been programmed to get us in form for the qualifiers.” The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers kick-off in September, the draw for which is slated for later this month.

Once again, I will use the upcoming games in the tournament to have a look at all the players in action. Each one of them deserve the chance. Igor Stimac, India Coach

Stimac had summoned a list of 35 players for the preparatory camp in Mumbai which had kicked-off in Mumbai on June 25. The 10 players who were released include Vishal Kaith, Nishu Kumar, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Anwar Ali, Raynier Fernandes, Michael Soosairaj, Nikhil Poojary, Jackichand Singh, and Balwant Singh, while Ashique Kuruniyan was earlier released from the camp.

The Team

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh.

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Anas Edathodika, Narender Gahlot, Subhasish Bose, Jerry Lalrinzuala.

Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Pronay Halder, Rowllin Borges, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul, Amarjit Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Mandar Rao Desai.

Forwards: Jobby Justin, Sunil Chhetri, Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh

(AIFF Media)

Buriram, Thailand: The central defence played together for the first time together, and so did the midfield. Even as the stalwarts including Sunil Chhetri were rested, a new young-look India rose to the occasion to beat Thailand 1-0 in the third-place play-off of the King’s Cup in Buriram, Thailand. Anirudh Thapa tapped it in from close in the 17thminute to make the difference.

This is the second victory for the Blue Tigers against the War Elephants in last 6 months — the first being in the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year. India now move to the Hero Intercontinental Cup to be held in Ahmedabad from July 7-18 where Syria, DPR Korea, and Tajikistan are the other participating teams.

Coach Igor Stimac made as many as eight changes to the starting line-up from India’s last outing against Curacao. Amrinder Singh replaced Gurpreet Singh Sandhu under the bar, with Adil Khan, Anirudh Thapa, Vinit Rai, Farukh Choudhary, Balwant Singh coming into the starting XI, along with Amarjit Singh and Raynier Fernandes.

Thapa, who had also scored in India’s last meeting against Thailand in the Asian Cup silenced the hostile Thai support in the 17th minute. Following a free-kick, Adil latched onto a loose clearance at the top of the Thai box, and played it delectably behind the defence line for Thapa to put India into the lead.

In fact, Anirudh and Adil were all over the pitch, and the duo could have broken the deadlock in the sixth minute itself, but Adil’s powerful header sailed over the crossbar.

In the 21st minute, Thai skipper Teerasil Dangda’s powerful back-volley found the target, but he was ruled offside. The hosts switched the gear after the half-hour mark but the Indian defenders, led by Sandesh Jhingan, showed their resilience to keep them at bay. Adil also put in a stupendous performance denying the deadly duo of Terrasil and Tristan twice.

India had their best opportunity to double the lead at the stroke of the half-time. Adil played a long ball for Farukh who beat the off-side trap, and ran onto the rival box. But as he hesitated and passed it to onrushing Balwant Singh, rival defender Theerathaon recovered in time to deny Balwant.

Changing over, Thailand came out all guns blazing, but the Indians defended stubbornly.

Farukh came very close to scoring his first International goal for the Blue Tigers in the 50th minute but his effort from 20 yards bounced off the post. On the rebound, Balwant’s right-footed shot hit the side-netting.

In the 60th minute, Terrasil made a terrific attempt but Sandesh’s timely block left him frustrated.

Nine minutes later, Thai goalkeeper Siwarak misjudged Theerathon’s backpass and in the process, could have ended conceding an own-goal but the post saved Thailand once again. In the process of making a desperate clearance, defender Suphan Thongsonghurt himself, and had to be stretchered off.

Stimac introduced Manvir Singh, Jackichand Singh and Abdul Sahal in the second half. Within seconds of coming in, Sahal sprinted down the heart of the pitch before passing the ball to Thapa, but the latter waited for that split extra second to help the rival defence close down.

Chamrasee, who came off the bench, could have broken Indian hearts in the 88th minute. But he mistimed the header off a curling free-kick; and in added time, Amrinder saved a blinder of a save to deny skipper Terrasil once again.

(AIFF Media)

Buriram, Thailand: The King’s Cup 2019 opener between India and Curacao is just a day away, and given the enormity of the occasion, the excitement and optimism in the Blue Tigers unit is palpable.

“We can feel the excitement on the players’ faces. They are excited about playing together for the first time as a group. I sincerely hope they will enjoy the football we will play,” Head coach Igor Stimac, who took charge of the Blue Tigers last month, stated on the eve of the match.

The 23-member squad was selected after a preparatory camp in Delhi and iconic striker Sunil Chhetri felt “the mood in the team is positive” with the players “pushing each other to get better.”

He stated: “The camaraderie between the players is really good. I’m glad to see the boys gelling well, pushing each other to get better, and inculcating a number of good habits.”

As many as six players are part of the Indian senior team for the first time and Chhetri lauded them for their achievement. “I see a lot of desire among the new boys. Who knows, a few boys could start for the senior team against Curacao. So it will be a huge moment for them. I remember how I felt when I made my debut and it’s truly magical, a moment you never forget. I wish them all the luck and really hope they do well.”

Chhetri himself stands on the cusp of becoming India’s highest cap winner of all-time when he takes the pitch against Curacao. While he mentioned that he is not thinking about the record, coach Stimac said that he “hopes his players will make it an unforgettable moment for Sunil.”

“It’s an important game for Sunil. I am sure all players will put in an extra effort into the game to make it an unforgettable one for him. Hopefully we can get a positive result,” the Croatian said.

“The Curacao players are experienced with a number of players playing in Europe. Technically, they are of a higher class than us on an individual basis. We need to draw the advantage as a team from it. We will have our chances and I hope the players will show up, work, behave, and finish the game as one unit,” Stimac mentioned.

Midfielder Pronay Halder declared that “we respect Curacao as opponents.”

“They have players who play at a different level. However, such matches motivate me. But we can never get overawed. We have matured as a team and need to stick to what the Coach wants us to. The match will be tough,” he maintained.

The Head Coach also mentioned that more than the result it will be important to see how the players adapt to the new system. “We are not putting any pressure on the players. More than the result, it is more important to see how the players have adapted to the stuff on which we have been working on, and how much they have advanced.”

Chhetri added: “Tomorrow, it’s more about how we play. We have to build a team and it’s for us to show how we can play. The result is important but for us, it is critical to show how much we can assimilate the information given to us by the coach and produce it on the pitch.”

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also mentioned about the “tough challenge.”

“The kind of players they have in their ranks – all of whom play at the highest level speaks about their quality. But we shouldn’t be afraid of them. We need to stick together as a team and make it tough for them.”

Chhetri summed it up perfectly. “I want the coach stays satisfied to as much as possible of how we are understanding what he wants. My main focus right now with the new coach it to be sync with the coach as soon as possible, and as less time as possible. On our way to do that we definitely want to win games. No team ever plays to lose, and neither do we.”

The match kicks-off at IST 2pm at the Chang Arena in Buriram, and will be telecast live on Star Sports 3, and Hotstar. Curacao for the record are ranked 82 in the latest FIFA World Ranking, while India are on 101.

(AIFF Media)

New Delhi: Ever since taking charge of the Indian National Team on May 15, newly appointed Head Coach Igor Stimac has already identified a good future for Indian football spurred by youth development and robust progeny coming on the back of an inspiring performance in the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year.

In his first press conference, the Croat who won a bronze medal in the FIFA World Cup, touted India as a sleeping giant with huge potential and talked at length about his short-term goals, the team’s preparation, the challenges ahead and a lot more.

Excerpts:

What are your thoughts about Indian football?

Indian football is a sleeping giant and I see many good opportunities here with the youth coming up. The youngsters in the setup here are knocking on the doors of the senior national team and I am happy with the technical quality of the players. We can do great things and I am expecting a good future with the senior national team and the U-23 team.

I have read about Indian football a lot and I have a feeling that I have been here for 5 years already. I am overwhelmed by the chance given to me by the technical committee and we can improve, develop and get results with the young players that are knocking on the door.

https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1131823026352189448

What are your thought about India qualifying for the FIFA World Cup?

The main objective of any nation is to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and no one has stopped us from dreaming about qualifying. As strong is our dream, the stronger the belief becomes. If we are to qualify then hard work becomes important along with the willingness to learn every day, more professionalism and more communication.

My job here won’t just be to improve the senior team and the U-23 team but holistically improve football in the nation. The jobs of meeting the local clubs and helping them is something that I am ready to do.

What will be your coaching philosophy?

The coaching philosophy would be based on giving more tactical options. Football is going up rapidly and we need to speed up. I need to appreciate the former coach Stephen Constantine for taking India from 173 to 101 in the FIFA Rankings as doing something like that is not easy. But he opted for a more defensive style of play that was more effective to the players that he had.

I will do my best to give more tactical options and plans to switch from one option to the other in the game because when you are losing 1-0 you can’t sit back and defend. At that point we need to evolve into another concept of a football system.

Good things will not happen overnight but with a bit of luck and understanding between my staff, players and the AIFF will be good. I have already seen many talented players with great capacity and they are ready to perform.Igor Stimac, India Coach

How has been the national camp so far?

We have tested the physical abilities of the players as they were coming from off-season and it was important to know their physical conditions. I will finish the working plan of how much intensity I can put on them because we don’t want the players to go to their clubs injured.

So far, the players are in good condition and I am satisfied with them. We will start working on technicalities and will adapt to the gameplay which suits us best.

We don’t have much time to change a lot and I have to decide about the 25-26 players that will be staying with us and then choose the final list of the 23 players.

What are your thoughts on the senior players in the team?

I speak everyday with all of the players to get information from them and players like Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan are role models for the young players coming up and I am quite happy with their behaviour.

What areas of improvement have you spotted?

We need to improve our concentration and our tactical knowledge and movement in the game. We also have to improve on our reaction to the second ball, which is one of the most important things in football today.

However, we need to develop quick players with good speed and with hearts of lions and tigers.

What will your short term goals be?

Good results start with good defending and that is something which we have to work upon. We need to work on the centre-back position and we need to find more players to challenge for those spot to develop a healthy competition.

(AIFF Media)

New Delhi: Isac Doru, the newly-appointed Technical Director, AIFF who has brought in loads of experiences of working alongside Arsene Wenger, said that India needs to work towards approaching a ‘synchronised’ football to reach to the next level in world football.

The 57-year-old football brain, in his first-ever interaction with the Indian media, spoke at length about qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, approach to the game, long-term planning and many more.

Excerpts:

How has been your experience in India so far?

First of all, we should congratulate the former head coach and staff for the progression and the game that the team has played. I am feeling privileged to have connected with the All India Football Federation.

I truly feel that Indians have the passion. I’m happy to have worked with young, dynamic, passionate staff and it’s easy to communicate with them.

How can India qualify to reach the FIFA World Cup?

We can’t deny that our major objective is to play in World Cup. After spending 2 weeks in the country, what I can say, realistically, is that we need time to achieve it.

But, on the other hand, India is not a new nation in football. In the 70s, we were one of the top nations of Asia and we have to be proud of that.

Indians have the passion, energy and that’s what is needed to reach there. If all of us work together, the target will be achieved sooner or later. It’s not only the team’s target, it’s a national target and we all have to work together towards it.

https://twitter.com/IndianFootball/status/1131824026433728512

What should be our approach to the game to improve?

We have to understand and adapt the modern game. It has to be synchronised, which is the most important aspect of modern football. When we are defending, we have to keep an eye on attacking, and vice-versa. That’s how modern football operates nowadays.

We have to learn from the past. We have to discuss, find the solution and implement the same as a nation. We have to chalk out our principles and work towards a synchronised, possession-based philosophy. Isac Doru, AIFF Technical Director

Do you think parallel leagues hinder Indian football’s progress?

Watching the system closely from within, I say it’s not a conflict. At the end of the day, it’s all about Indian football.

We should focus on the quality of the games, not the quantity. Say, if the players run 8.5 km in a game, it’ll be difficult for us in the international games, where a player runs 13.2 km. We have to have a global understanding of all the leagues and we need to work together to match the level.

How do you plan to move forward?

We have to learn from the past. We have to discuss, find the solution and implement the same as a nation. We have to chalk out our principles and work towards a synchronised, possession-based philosophy. I have already sat with different coaches and now I’ll invite the players who played in the 70s.

What I feel is that Indians are very agile. What we need to improve is the coaching system and coach education. Say, in one game, there’re 128 attacking actions and in another game, there’re only 20. Which one will the fan like? India is a fast, dynamic nation and we need to focus on that.

It’s one of the principles and that’s what we should implement across age-groups, especially, the golden age-group comprising U-8s, U-10s and U-12s.

We have laid down the strategic plan for the next 4 years and all of us including Igor (Stimac), other age-group National team coaches, club coaches, and the former players have to sit down and discuss how we should move forward.

(AIFF Media)