Following the Indian Football Team’s back-to-back defeats in the AFC Asian Cup, manager Igor Stimac criticized the team’s performance, stating how they have ‘slipped’ in the two games and lamenting not sticking to ‘the game plan’ in the 3-0 loss to Uzbekistan.
“Let ourselves down last night. We slipped up early and didn’t give ourselves a chance to stick to the game plan. We knew Uzbekistan’s attack would be trickier than Australia’s, and we didn’t deal with it well in the first half. Disappointed but not giving up, more work to do.” Igor Stimac wrote on X (Formerly Twitter)
With two losses, India occupies the bottom of Group B, while Australia and Uzbekistan lead with six and four points, respectively. To advance, India must secure a win against Syria in the upcoming match, pinning their hopes on becoming one of the best third-place teams.
Uzbekistan quickly took the lead in Doha, with Abbosbek Fayzullaev scoring in the fifth minute. India’s disorganized defence contributed to the second goal, as Sandesh Jhingan’s sliding attempt resulted in an own goal rebounded by Igor Sergeev.
Sherzod Nasrullaev added a third before halftime. While Uzbekistan eased off in the second half, India struggled to supply Sunil Chhetri in the attack. Despite repeated attempts, the veteran striker couldn’t find the net and was substituted with 20 minutes remaining. The Blue Tigers face a challenging path to qualification in the tournament.
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