AFC Asian Cup: Clinical Uzbekistan give Igor Stimac and India food for thought

Doha, January 19

India coach Igor Stimac said his team offered Uzbekistan too much space and time during the 0-3 drubbing in the AFC Asian Cup here on Thursday and admitted drastic improvement is required to match the standards of the continent’s elites.

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.

India simply failed to withstand the early onslaught but 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,” he said. “We need to work on ourselves, close these gaps in our game, and look forward to winning the crucial matches.”

Nearly 40,000 fans had turned up at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, most of them Indians. “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.