Sharjah: Sunil Chhetri has emphasised that India must keep improving after the Blue Tigers were eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in heartbreaking fashion following a stoppage-time penalty by Jamal Rashed that saw Bahrain secure a 1-0 win and a place in the next round.
India needed just a draw from their Group A encounter to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time and as the game entered its final minutes, they appeared to have done enough, but Pronay Halder then upended Hamed Alshamsen in the penalty area and Rashed made no mistake from the spot to send India crashing out.
The defeat brought an end to a promising campaign which has seen the South Asians claim a hugely impressive 4-1 opening-day win over Thailand and then prove more than a match for the United Arab Emirates.
Ultimately, though, in the most compact group of the competition, they fell just short, finishing two points adrift of table-toppers UAE and just one behind Thailand and Bahrain, who both progressed to the next stage.
“We couldn’t replicate the same intensity that we had in the first two games; when you require a draw that’s what it can do for you and we didn’t play particularly well today,” admitted Chhetri.
“We didn’t keep the ball and fight enough. If we hadn’t conceded in the last two minutes maybe I’d have said we had fought enough. The margins are so small at this level, but there are so many positives to be taken from this tournament.
“Now we have been at this level and seen what it takes to come here and compete with the best in Asia. We have taken a few good steps but because where we want to reach is far in the distance, we can’t be happy or satisfied.”
Match Highlights - January 14
India went into the final round of Group A fixtures in second place in the standings and needing to avoid defeat to seal a spot in the last 16. The West Asians required victory to advance and were largely on top throughout and they increased their pressure on the Indian goal as the game wore on.
If hosts UAE had claimed all three points against Thailand in the simultaneous kick-off in Al Ain, though, India would have remained in contention for the knockout phase. But the sides’ 1-1 draw sealed the South Asians’ fate and prompted head coach Stephen Constantine to resign almost immediately after the final whistle.
“After we conceded we looked back at the bench and they said it was 1-1 [in the other game],” said the forward.
“There were only three minutes left, so everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today. No one spoke after the game - all the young lads were so gutted and disappointed and I can understand that.
“I feel the same, but I told them we did alright and from here we can only go up, so chin up, make sure you go away and improve as much as you can.”
Despite their elimination, India have made huge strides in recent years, with defeat against Guam in mid-2015 a low point that was followed by a dramatic turnaround in fortunes as they topped their group in the third round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup.
The stunning victory over Thailand was their first win in the competition since 1964 and their overall campaign was a marked improvement from their last appearance, in 2011, when they lost three from three.
“It’s very difficult to believe that we are out of the Asian Cup,” added goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh.
“It’s not the way we would have liked to go out but overall if we look back, I’m really proud of the way the boys played and the way we showed our commitment.
“I will look back at this tournament as a very good experience and winning the first game in 55 years was something truly special. The opportunity to lead the team was something very, very special for me personally, so that’s something I’ll remember for a long time.
“We need to move on and learn from this experience because being in the Asian Cup is very, very important for us. We need to forget this and make sure we are ready for 2023 and make sure we are here again.”
Source: the-afc.com