Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac with the players during a practice session ahead of the World Cup qualifying match against Afghanistan in Guwahati on Monday, 25 March 2024.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR
The absence of adequate practice and a disjointed performance by India allowed Afghanistan to post a comeback win here in a round two Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, according to India head coach Igor Stimac.
The defeat dealt a big blow to India’s aspirations, but Stimac insisted that India still has a chance to qualify for the third round. With Qatar beating Kuwait (2-1) in the other group match later on Tuesday night, India continued to be in second spot with four points, pushing Afghanistan (also on four) to third with a better goal average.
“Of course, we can qualify. We will be a different team after the long camp that will come up after the ISL (ahead of the next match against Kuwait) and hopefully get things right in the end and qualify to the third round,” said Stimac.
“Half of our players are unable to bring that intensity which is needed to take the game to the desired level. I cannot change that in five days (the practice time India got before the match) and I have been saying this many times over in the last few months,” Stimac said, reiterating his demand for a minimum three-week camp to prepare the Indian team before its international engagements.
“These are the same players who played between May and July (2023) but are unable to bring that same intensity to the game. Afghanistan is not better than the teams like Kuwait and Lebanon which we dominated and defeated during that period,” said Stimac while referring to the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship wins in 2023.
Saying that the Indian players needed to be reoriented about their playing positions since many of them play a secondary role for their clubs who use foreign recruits for crucial spots, Stimac insisted on the necessity of a “proper” preparation time.
“It is about the intensity of work you can produce over a certain period of time, which can help the players maintain the level of self-confidence needed for such games. It will also help them tackle the pressure that comes in a situation where you need to win,” Stimac, who faced angry fans with “go back” slogans after the defeat, said.
