Stimac declares Oman favourites

Muscat (Oman), November 17

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Winless India will start as underdogs in the World Cup qualifying round match against Oman here on Tuesday, said head coach Igor Stimac, while ruing that his players were creating chances but not converting them.

In search of their first win in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Blue Tigers take on Oman in the return leg at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Stimac’s side had lost 1-2 in the first leg in Guwahati in September.

“Qatar and Oman are two favourites in our group. The difference between the other three (Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India) is very less. Against Afghanistan my team performed in the second half,” Stimac said.

India had needed an injury-time goal to eke out a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on November 14. It was their third draw of the campaign in four matches. They sit at the fourth spot in the Group E table with three points.

“This is a team for the future and we are in the process of becoming a tough team to play against. We had created chances to win every match until now. We even created chances against Qatar in the last minutes. We’re improving gradually and that’s what makes me proud,” Stimac said. — PTI