Imphal: A draw against Kyrgyz Republic is enough for India to win the Tri-Nation International Football tournament Tuesday but head coach Igor Simac said the hosts will go all out for a win.
The Blue Tigers began with a slender 1-0 win over Myanmar Wednesday last. They need just a draw to win the tournament after Kyrgyz Republic snatched a 1-1 draw against Myanmar in the second match of tournament Saturday.
Kyrgyz Republic, on the other hand, will require a win against India to claim the trophy.
“We will go all out to win. We have a full house with our supporters and a chance to prove ourselves. It will also be a much stronger team than the first game,” Stimac said at the pre-match press conference.
“I was right when I said Myanmar is a serious side that can hurt you. We saw that against the Kyrgyz Republic. It will, of course, be a different challenge against the Kyrgyz side because they don’t have any option but to come out and win.”
Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, who started in the 1-0 win over Myanmar, accompanied Stimac in the press conference and said he would want to keep up his good performance.
“I always try to do my best whenever I get the chance. Coach gives me a lot of confidence on and off the pitch. I work hard in training, rest well, sleep well and eat well. I’m happy with my performance and I want to keep it up,” Singh said.
Stimac was all praise for the custodian as well and said Singh had “top reactions and eliminated every danger”.
“He has always done well in the few games he’s played under me — against Thailand (1-0), Oman (1-1) and now Myanmar (1-0),” the head coach said.
Stimac also informed that Sahal Abdul Samad has joined the national team camp ahead of Tuesday’s game.
“Sahal is here with us as we have a couple of injuries. He will be another option for us.”
Kyrgyz Republic are ranked 94th in the world, while India are at 106.
Disappointed with his side’s opening-match draw against Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic head coach Alexander Krestinin said they might have taken the game a bit casually.
“We reviewed the game (against Myanmar). A lot of things didn’t go as planned. We have also analysed India’s matches and will look to correct our previous mistakes tomorrow. We will make some changes in the team,” said Krestinin.
The Russian has been in charge of the Kyrgyz side since 2014 and faced India twice during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign (a 2-1 win at home and a 0-1 loss away).
But, he said that those results will have no bearing Tuesday’s match.
“The previous games against India don’t affect our preparations for tomorrow. Now, there are many new faces on both sides and it will be a different sort of game,” said Krestinin.
PTI
