India captain Sunil Chhetri on Saturday said that he is "fossilized" and the country may not find his exact replacement.
Looking to lead by example, star striker Sunil Chhetri said the Indian football team is "fit and hungry" going into its opening 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Oman.
India and Pakistan to renew football rivalry after five years, clubbed in same group in next month's SAFF Cup
The Blue Tigers raced to a 1-0 lead with the 21-year-old centreback Anwar scoring his maiden international goal four years after his career nearly ended on health grounds.
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri struck twice to lead a beleaguered India to a 3-1 win over hosts Maldives in their final league match and enter the title clasg of the SAFF Championships in Male on Wednesday.
While there is no imminent threat to the AFC Asian Cup participation by the senior men's team in late 2023 or early 2024, some of the games slated for clubs and age-group national teams in the next few months could well be a tricky terrain.
Phan Van Duc (10th), Nguyen Van Toan (49th) and Nguyen Van Quyet (70th) scored for Vietnam to no reply from the Indians whose defenders had a mediocre outing, especially in the second half.
India football coach Igor Stimac said his team is capable of upsetting Oman in their World Cup qualifying opener but conceded that the visitors will start outright favourites in the September 5 clash.
India is scheduled to play two qualifiers, one match each against Afghanistan and Oman on November 14 and 19 respectively.
Blue Tigers rise to third spot.
Seven-time champions India were held to a goalless draw by 205th ranked Sri Lanka despite a dominant display in their second SAFF Championships match, in Male, on Thursday.
Buoyed by their gallant goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar, India would be looking to register their first win in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they take on Bangladesh.
Farukh Choudhary and skipper Sunil Chhetri struck in the second half to guide India to a 2-1 victory over Nepal in their second International friendly, in Kathmandu, on Sunday.
Stimac was part of the Croatia team that sensationally reached the semi-finals of the World Cup at the first attempt in 1998 and he is looking to his India squad to similarly buck the odds in Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Sunil Chhetri equalled the iconic Lionel Messi with his 80th international strike as an inspired India blanked Nepal 3-0 for their eighth SAFF Championship title, in Male, on Saturday. India extended their domination in the regional tournament thanks to second half goals from Chhetri (49th minute), Suresh Singh (50th) and Sahal Abdul Samad (90th).
SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have continuity in their training.
The Indian men's football team will kick-start its preparations for the next month's SAFF Championships in Maldives with the first of the two international friendly matches against Nepal in Kathmandu on Thursday.
The 51-year-old Stimac, who was part of Croatia's 1998 World Cup squad that finished third in France, was Wednesday officially announced as head coach of the Indian team. He comes with an experience of over 18 years in coaching, structuring, and developing football with players back home and internationally.
India captain Sunil Chhetri said the team couldn't make use of the opportunities, but no less mediocre was India's defending.
India suffered an embarrassing 0-6 rout at the hands of formidable United Arab Emirates -- their heaviest defeat against the Gulf side -- in the second international football friendly in Dubai on Monday.
India began the year on 97 in FIFA rankings, but after two wins, four draws and seven losses, the country ended 2019 at 108
Sunil Chhetri, playing in his 121st international in the SAFF Championship, struck in the 27th minute to place himself just a goal shy of legendary Brazillian Pele (77 goals from 92 matches).
Up against the 91st-ranked Bahrain, Stimac's side, which is currently placed at 104 in the FIFA rankings, found the going tough from the word go and, had it not been for a fine save by skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Indians would have trailed by a bigger margin at half time.
Playing with ten debutants, India came back strongly in the second half to eke out a draw in their first international game since the COVID-19 lockdown last March.
India remained winless in their qualifying campaign so far.
A winless India remained in fourth spot in the group with three points from six matches. India are already out of contention for a World Cup berth but they are still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup.
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri scored in his milestone appearance but India lost 1-3 to higher-ranked Curacao in their opening match of the King's Cup football tournament in Igor Stimac's first game in charge, in Burirasm, Thailand, on Wednesday.
A struggling India escaped with a 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in their FIFA World Cup second round qualifying match in Kolkata.
A winless India must beat Bangladesh on Monday if they want to jump to third spot in Group E standings and keep themselves afloat for a direct berth in the Asian Cup third qualifying round.
India are virtually knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying round after losing 0-1 to Oman, in Muscat, on Tuesday.
'It's about experience. My players were fit, in fact fitter than Oman, but they were more experienced.' Coach Stimac rues India's one-man attack after Oman agony
Indian centre-back Sandesh Jhingan feels he will be "tested to the limit" while enhancing his game outside his comfort zone at Croatian league Prva HNL.
It was defendfer Adil Khan who saved India the blushes with his 88th minute header on a day inspirational skipper Sunil Chhetri was not at his best.
Adil Khan ensured that India at least secure a point from the home match
The India football captain said others players in the side are very much capable of outperforming him.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
Among those who remembered the slain bravehearts, who fell to bullets of Pakistani terrorists while repulsing the deadly attack on this day 11 years ago, were their kin, politicians, government officials, sports persons and common citizens.
AIFF plans to go ahead with the 2020-21 I-League season even if the clubs' star foreign recruits are unable to make it due to the coronavirus-forced travel restrictions.
Only Sandesh Jhingan, who led the side, Rahul Bheke and Subhasish Bose retained their places, but India still won the match through a 17th minute strike from midfielder Anirudh Thapa in the third-place match at the Thunder Castle stadium.
'We have played just two matches, and we have played well, that too against two powerful teams. It gives us that added motivation and confidence that in football, anything is possible'
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