Whole team reacted well in the second half against Oman, admits Igor Stimac
Indian played its first International match since November 2019
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Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac feels that the entire team reacted well in the second half after going into the break with a 0-1 lead. Chinglensana’s own goal gave Oman the lead in the 43rd minute, while Manvir Singh’s header restored parity for India in the 55th minute of the game.
A total of 10 players made their international debut in what was India’s first international match in almost 16 months, when they played Oman in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, back in 2019. It was in a friendly against similar opponents that the Blue Tigers resumed their journey, holding the Gulf nation to a 1-1 draw.
Oman, ranked much higher than India in the FIFA rankings, took the offensive root from the onset, but it was not enough to disturb the scoreline. They had a golden opportunity to draw first blood in the 26th minute from a spot-kick, but it was wasted as India’s custodian Amrinder Singh saved it.
Finally, an own goal gave Oman the lead in the 43rd minute, while a 55th-minute strike from Manvir Singh helped India share the honours. Indian coach Igor Stimac feels that the entire team reacted well in the second half and pulled back the game after going into the break with a 0-1 lead.
"But the whole team reacted well in the second half, they did their best, they tried everything. We had some good transition which I was looking for. In the end, I was happy because 10 debutants played, 10 new faces, some of them with lots of minutes on the pitch. They all did their part against Oman," said Igor Stimac, after the 1-1 draw against Oman.
In spite of the result, the Omani’s were far more superior physically, having completed more successful tackles than the Indians, while their passing has also been better. The Croat manager feels that it is an area where they should improve, even though they have a few players built for the trade.
"You could see that we need more muscle on the team. You could see how strong the Oman side is how good their tacklers are. They pass and move very quickly. We have some very quick players in our team but they couldn't run away from the Omani defenders. There is a lot of hard work in front of us. We need to bring some muscle to our bodies and keep working hard," admitted the manager.
