India drew 1-1 against Oman in their first international fixture in over a year. The Blue Tigers came from a goal down to level the match in the second half – a scoreline which they preserved until full time.
The head coach was happy with the grit shown by his team in their match against Oman, especially in the second half.
One good thing was the result in the end,
Stimac told the All India Football Federation website.
The whole team reacted really well in the second half. They did their best and tried everything. We had some good transitions, which is something I was looking for.
The Croatian tactician was as delighted with the result as he was in giving ten players their debuts.
In the end, I have to say I am happy because we had 10 debutants today – some with many minutes on the pitch and some with only few. But, they all did their part in getting our first point from Oman in three games.
Meanwhile, the Indian team also earned praise from captain Sunil Chhetri, who had been left out of the international camp by Stimac due to COVID problems. The skipper took on Twitter to congratulate the debutants and asked them to ‘remember the moment’.
India will face the United Arab Emirates in Dubai in their second international friendly this month. The Blue Tigers are looking to use the current set of fixtures as practice towards the 2023 AFC Asian Cup second-round qualifiers.
Stimac’s men currently are ranked fourth in their group, alongside Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. They have accumulated just three points from five matches and have lost to Oman twice. However, they are due to play Qatar, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in the next international break. A string of positive results will help them secure a good position in the subsequent qualification round.
