Kathmandu: Indian head coach Igor Stimac claimed his men still need to improve to a greater level to get positive results in big tournaments, despite their 2-1 against Nepal in the second international friendly on Sunday. Earlier, India drew 1-1 in the first game against the same opponent.
“After we scored the first goal we started rising up with confidence and playing as we needed to play. Overall our team was better in these two games and deserved to win. The Nepalese team improved a lot. You can see how much it means to the team. I think India still has a lot to prove and many points to improve on,” said the boss at the post-match press conference.
India has played two friendlies against Nepal in a span of a week as a part of preparation ahead of SAFF Championships. Anirudh Thapa’s second-half goal helped the Blue Tigers secure a draw in the first encounter. On Sunday, goals from skipper Sunil Chhetri and super-sub Farukh Choudhary gave India the upper hand.
With Sandesh Jhingan already off to Croatia, the heart of the defence felt a little lose. Even though Seriton Fernandes did a good job, he lacked the experience of the former ATK Mohun Bagan star. Stimac was momentarily happy with the results but warned that the time ahead is going to be harder and the team should be prepared for it.
“The second game was much better for both sides than the previous one and somehow I felt that this is far more than a friendly game,” Stimac said. “We need to congratulate the players of both the teams for their attitude and willingness to win the game. Especially, I need to appreciate my players because they were much more patient this time, waiting for the first goal to happen and waiting for the Nepalese defence to open up.
“After we scored the first goal we started rising up with confidence and playing as we needed to play. Overall our team was better in these two games and deserved to win. The Nepalese team improved a lot. You can see how much it means to the team. I think India still has a lot to prove and many points to improve on,” the Croatian added.
The win provided the Blue Tigers with much-needed confidence, as they start preparing for their group stage match in the SAFF Championships against Nepal itself on October 10 at the National Stadium in Maldives.
