Kathmandu, Sep 6: The Indian football team’s head coach Igor Stimac feels the side “has a lot to prove and many points to improve on” despite heading back home unbeaten in the two international friendlies against Nepal.
After a 1-1 draw in the first friendly, India notched up 2-1 win in the second game against Nepal on Sunday thanks to second-half strikes by Farukh Choudhary and skipper Sunil Chhetri.
“We need to congratulate the players on their attitude and their willingness to go and win the game,” Stimac said at the post-match press conference.
“I especially need to appreciate my players because they were much more patient, waiting for the first goal, to open up the Nepali defence, and as you know, when that happens, everything is much easier.
“But I think India still has a lot to prove and many points to improve on,” he added. Stimac felt that both sides put up better performances in the second match.
“I think it was a good game of football that all the fans could enjoy. This second game was much better than the previous one.
“After we scored the first goal, we started rising with confidence and playing as we need to play. I think overall India were the better of the two sides over the two games, and deservedly are going forward with a win,” he quipped.
Commenting on the hosts’ performance Stimac said: “Nepal played well, they improved a lot. I can see how much it means to the team when it has two months of preparation.” (PTI)
