Stimac bemoans lack of strikers after India suffer worst Asian Cup showing in 40 years

23.01.2024 - 19:27 channelnewsasia.com

AL KHOR, Qatar : India produced their worst Asian Cup performance in 40 years after losing all three of their group matches without scoring as head coach Igor Stimac bemoaned the lack of centre forwards who could step up for the national team in Qatar.India became the second team after China to finish the campaign without a goal as losses to Australia and Uzbekistan were followed by Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Syria that ended their faint hopes of moving to the knockout stage."Overall in three games we proved that we can compete at this level," Stimac told reporters."Obviously everybody sees what are the missing points in India's play.

Scoring goals, which comes with having good goal-scorers with the team and people with confidence in front of the goal."The team produced enough chances to score enough goals.

When we start having Indian players in the centre forward position (in the domestic league) then we're going to have many more goal-scorers for the national team."India's captain Sunil Chhetri has scored 93 international goals and is the third-highest active international goalscorer after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but even the 39-year-old veteran was unable to find the net and was left frustrated with some near misses.After narrowly missing out on the second round in 2019, India had high hopes in this tournament following wins over Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon last year.During their group matches this month in Qatar, they also enjoyed strong support from the Indian diaspora but the 1964 runner-ups ended up replicating their dismal, goalless, showing from the 1984 campaign."We can take a good lesson from here...

show UPS performer cup Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo Igor Stimac Sunil Chhetri Qatar Australia China Uzbekistan India Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Syria

India's home match against Kuwait on June 6 could be among head coach Igor Stimac's most important matches at the helm of affairs as the country seeks to make it to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time in its history. Stimac is believed to have told the technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in a virtual meeting on Saturday that even if India beats Afghanistan twice (home and away) in March, it will still be difficult to qualify for the third round if the team does not do well against Kuwait.

India vs Syria Live Streaming Asian Cup Live Telecast: Where To Watch Match

India vs Syria AFC Asian Cup, Live Streaming: India will be going up against Syria in their last group stage match of the ongoing AFC Asian Cup on Tuesday. A 0-2 and 0-3 defeat to Australia and Uzbekistan laid bare India's inability to give strong competition to the top teams of the continent but a win against Syria can salvage some pride for the Sunil Chhetri-led side. Syria are currently ranked at 91st in the FIFA chart, 11 places above India (102nd) but a victory is not impossible for the Igor Stimac-coached side as they had won in the past -- in 2007, 2009 and 2012 Nehru Cup tournaments.

India Look For Win Against Syria To Keep Asian Cup Knockouts Hopes Alive

Winless, and pointless, after losing two group matches, India need nothing more than a win against a tricky Syria to keep alive their faint hopes of making the knockout stage of AFC Asian Cup football tournament in Al Khor, Qatar on Tuesday. A 0-2 and 0-3 defeat to Australia and Uzbekistan laid bare India's inability to give strong competition to the top teams of the continent but a win against Syria can salvage some pride for the Sunil Chhetri-led side. Syria are currently ranked at 91st in the FIFA chart, 11 places above India (102nd) but a victory is not impossible for the Igor Stimac-coached side as they had won in the past -- in 2007, 2009 and 2012 Nehru Cup tournaments.

AFC Asian Cup 2024: Lacklustre India Lose 0-3 To Uzbekistan

Bereft of ideas, a lacklustre Indian football team's woes were compounded by its defensive lapses, resulting in a 0-3 drubbing by a dominant Uzbekistan in the AFC Asian Cup on Thursday. This is India's second successive defeat in Group B, having started their campaign with a 0-2 loss to title contenders Australia, in which their spirited performance earned them plaudits. However, against the central Asian nation at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, India's performance was a far cry from their display against the Socceroos, a FIFA World Cup regular. Uzbekistan scored through Abbosbek Fayzullaev (4th minute), Igor Sergeev (18th) and Nasrullaev (45 3) to register their first win in the competition after being held to a stalemate by Syria in their tournament opener.

India vs Uzbekistan AFC Asian Cup 2024 Highlights: India Slump To 0-3 Defeat Against Uzbekistan

India vs Uzbekistan Highlights, AFC Asian Cup 2024: India fell to a second straight defeat at the AFC Asian Cup 2024 on Thursday, losing 3-0 to Uzbekistan, all the goals coming in a torrid first half for Igor Stimac's team. The result put Uzbekistan in pole position to qualify along with Australia from Group B with one round of matches to go.

Asian Cup Live Streaming, India vs Uzbekistan Live Telecast: Where To Watch Match Live

After a gritty performance against formidable Australia, India face Uzbekistan in their second group match of the Asian Cup in Al Rayyan on Thursday, aiming to assert themselves better than what they managed in the opening game. India lost to title-contenders Australia 0-2 in the opening match on January 14 after denying the Socceroos any success for 50 minutes. The Australians were at their attacking best but Sunil Chhetri's men managed to avoid a bigger margin of defeat. The defensive compactness, especially in the first half, would be something that the Indians would like to continue against the Uzbeks, who are a bit disappointed after playing out a 0-0 draw against Syria in their opening match.