Stimac's wards ready for final push

Bhubaneswar, June 17

Fierce competitive spirit will override camaraderie between rival coaches when India take on Lebanon in the final of the Intercontinental Cup here tomorrow.

India chief coach Igor Stimac and his opposite number Aleksandar Ilic have been long-time friends since their days at the Spanish club Cadiz CF back in 1994 and there is plenty of mutual respect between the two.

But Stimac’s stance on the eve of the summit clash indicated not an inch would be given after two clear goalscoring opportunities went begging for India in their previous outing on Thursday.

Going by the Croatian’s rotation policy in the games against Mongolia, Vanuatu and Lebanon, he could spring a surprise in the title clash as well. But with the title at stake, it’s unlikely he would veer too far away from his time-tested combination.

“Besides not scoring (in the previous game), I don’t think we did anything wrong. I don’t think we should change many things. We need lots of speed, we need players with lots of aggressiveness and energy, who are ready to respond to the physical game of Lebanon,” said Stimac. PTI

U-17 boys hit back against Vietnam

Pathum Thani (Thailand): Malemngamba Thokchom netted a timely equaliser for India in their 1-1 draw against Vietnam in the opening Group D match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, here today. Vietnam had taken a lead towards the end of the first half, courtesy Long Vu.