The defensive mistakes that have been India’s undoing early in Igor Stimac’s Indian reign came back to punish the team in the first FIFA World Cup qualifier against Oman here on Thursday.
Being in control for the entirety of the first half and taking the lead through a cleverly-worked training ground routine mattered for little with the two late goals conceded.
“We’re very sad, deserved more from this game. We could have scored many in the first half and finished the game before the break,” he said, reflecting on the game.
“My players made me proud, the way they fought and ran for 70 minutes. But the game is for 90 minutes, not 70.”
Sunil Chhetri put India ahead in the first half but there was little threat to the Oman goal from elsewhere.
For all the attacking play, it was Chhetri the team turned to, to take it across the line.
Inexperience in scoring
“We didn’t have enough experience in scoring. We always depend on Sunil for goals,” he said, before adding, “But I can’t blame anyone. The players gave their all.”
On what went wrong in the final minutes, he said, “The defence was losing its shape and that (the closing minutes) was the time we need to be patient. Keep possession, hold onto the lead and wait for counters. We didn’t and we paid the price.”
In the end, what made the difference was the experience Oman had. India looked the fitter side but the visitor made its few chances count.
“My players, they can run. But this loss is about experience, not fitness. From the 70th minute mark, we made the mistake of running too much without passing. We should’ve made the opponent run and chase, we didn’t,” he said.
With India’s toughest game, away to Qatar, coming up in five fays, there isn’t much time to regroup. But the Croatian believes that his team is already over the Oman result and is looking forward to the game on September 10.
“Motivating? Done. We start preparing (for Qatar) from this moment. They are the strongest team and have the strongest league in Asia.”
On what to expect from India, he said, “We will change four or five players, will see how they are. But we have no reason to fear, we will try to play good football and try to score.”
