The Indian national football team kicked off their 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a disappointing 0-2 loss to Australia. Despite the hard work, India suffered another defeat at the hands of dominant Uzbekistan on Thursday, January 18th. Here's what the team's coach Igor Stimac has to say about improvements
"We've improved a lot in the last five years, but there's a lot to learn, especially when you play teams like these. It's not easy when you face teams like Uzbekistan and Australia," said the India captain.India coach Igor Stimac said his team offered Uzbekistan too much space and time during the 0-3 drubbing in the AFC Asian Cup in Doha and admitted drastic improvement is required to match the standards of the continent's elites. (AFC Asian Cup Streaming | More Football News)
Unlike their outing against Australia, when they managed to hold the title contenders and World Cup regulars goalless for the first 50 minutes, the Indian defence was split wide open in the early part of the game by Uzbekistan.
Defensive lapses hurt the 102-ranked team the most, as it conceded two goals within the first 17 minutes.
"They were far more clinical than us. They didn't give away anything. And whatever problems we had, came from ourselves. We allowed them to take those chances. That's the difference,'' Stimac said after the match.
India simply failed to withstand the early Uzbek onslaught though Stimac preferred to go easy on his wards, who will face Syria on January 23 in their last group match.
"Overall, the boys have been fantastic. They have trained well and maintained discipline. But at this level, there's never a convenient time to concede goals. If you allow time and space to a side like Uzbekistan, they will kill you," said Stimac.
"We need to work on ourselves, close these gaps in our game, and look forward to winning the crucial matches that lie ahead of us."
Nearly 40,000 fans had turned up at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Doha on Thursday, most of them Indians.
"We are very sad about disappointing the fans, but that's what we have to live with at the moment. I want to tell them that I'm sorry that it couldn't happen in this match, but please keep supporting these guys. They will bring lots of happiness later this year," he said.
For skipper, Sunil Chhetri and his colleagues, matches like these are a reminder that they need to learn a lot more.
"We've improved a lot in the last five years, but there's a lot to learn, especially when you play teams like these. It's not easy when you face teams like Uzbekistan and Australia," said the India captain.
Chhetri admitted that the defensive errors cost them dearly.
"The good thing is that the boys gave us whatever we had. We made some mistakes in the first half that cost us dearly. We now need to go back and watch the replays and figure out the areas where we need to improve," said Chhetri.