India football coach Igor Stimac said that SAFF Championships victory is not a “special success” and their aim to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
“I don’t consider it (the SAFF title) as a special success because it is normal that India wins when it goes to SAFF but it demonstrates that we are very dominant in this competition and we can progress in our game a lot more,” Stimac said at a virtual interaction.
India beat Nepal in the finals of SAFF to claim the title win for the eighth time.
Stimac also admitted that his team was under a big pressure after draws against Bangladesh (1-1) and Sri Lanka (0-0) in the first two round-robin league matches.
“It was obviously a difficult situation we found after the first two matches but they looked bad only because of the results. There was no big difference in approach, the numbers and statistics, we had enough shoots, scoring chances, movement and energy by players.
“We scored sometimes and didn’t score sometimes and that made the difference. So, we had a lot of results pressure on our shoulders but we dealt with it the way it should be and in the end we won the trophy which was really important.” Stimac was speaking from Bengaluru after his return from Maldives and he is leaving for Dubai Tuesday night with the U-23 national team, which he has taken charge of for the 2022 Asian U-23 Championships qualifiers in the UAE from October 25 to 31.
Stimac also praised India skipper Sunil Chhetri who star yet again for the nation at the tournament with his five goals out of eight goals the South Asian country scored in the tournament.
“His influence is keeping the team going. He is a role model and leader off and on the field. He is the most passionate player in the dressing room and his fitness level is unbelievable. He is in the best shape possible and that is why he played in all the matches (of SAFF Championships). When somebody who can score better and who has better fitness (comes along), only then he can be replaced, otherwise you cannot replace him and he keeps on playing till the time he is with the team.”
