Bangkok [Thailand], June 21 (ANI): Despite his group’s 0-1 loss to Uzbekistan of their second Group D match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup, the Indian head coach Bibiano Fernandes hailed his aspect’s effort, particularly the defenders for preventing it out with “huge hearts”.
The Blue Colts fought tooth and nail maybe higher within the second half than within the first however succumbed to a Mukhammedali Reimov strike within the 82nd minute, to lose the match.
“The first thing is to start our recovery. We need the boys to be fresh for the next game. The result did not go in our favour against Uzbekistan, but the boys gave it their all, and that is what you can ask of them in the end. We tried to hold them in the first half, but there were certain issues that we faced. We got back well in the second half, and the boys showed full commitment,” Bibiano Fernandes mentioned after the match, in keeping with an AIFF launch,Despite the loss, there have been a few stellar performances, notably that of goalkeeper Sahil Poonia, and of midfielder Akash Tirkey, who got here on instead within the second half and helped India make headways into the Uzbekistan space.
“Our defenders had done very well, they blocked so many shots during the match. Right now, it is just speculation, but maybe we could have blocked the one shot that went, but that happens in football. But all credit to the boys. They fought with huge hearts, and I am proud of them,” mentioned Fernandes.
“We will take a lot of positives from this game. Sahil played extremely well and made so many saves. So, did Akash. We did not start him in this game because we thought that he could make an impact once he came on as a substitute, as a fresh player, and he certainly did that,” he mentioned.
As Group D presently stands, Japan and Uzbekistan occupy the highest two spots respectively, with 4 factors apiece, whereas India is in third and Vietnam in fourth, with one level every. The Blue Colts are set to face defending champions Japan on the ultimate matchday of Group D, a match that they must win, and hope that Vietnam doesn’t defeat Uzbekistan with the intention to make it to the quarter-finals.
“We are still in the game, and we have a chance to make it, so we keep believing in ourselves,” mentioned Fernandes. “Of course, Japan is a powerful aspect and the defending champions, however you by no means know what would possibly occur on a sure day. If we win, we have now an incredible likelihood, and we are going to search for each alternative to try this.
“Having said that, we still need to improve a lot. If we look back, we could have passed more effectively, and maybe created a few more chances. Finishing is another area that we can improve on. But this is a brilliant opportunity for the boys to play against a top nation, and they should enjoy it. Japan is a country that qualifies for the World Cup at all levels on a regular basis. It is a rare opportunity, and we want to show how good we are,” he concluded. (ANI)