India defeated Nepal 1-0 to win their opening match of the SAFF Championship 2021 and keep their hopes alive in the competition. In the 82nd minute, Sunil Chhetri volleyed the ball home to give India a 1-0 lead, which proved to be the game-winner.
After Sunil Chhetri missed a sitter and Manvir Singh failed to get a shot away from a decent position, the score remained 0-0 at halftime. India had far more possession of the ball in the first half, but they still needed to be more precise in the closing third.
In their third encounter of the tournament, India’s men’s football team faces Nepal on Sunday at Male’s National Stadium in a must-win position. After being held to disappointing draws in their first two matches, pre-tournament favorites India are yet to win. They drew 1-1 with 10-man Bangladesh in their competition opener, and then Sri Lanka upset them by holding them to a goalless draw.
The Indian men’s football squad has failed to impress thus far in the tournament and has largely appeared out of their depth. Midfielder Brandon Fernandes said that the mood in the camp was low after a few disappointing results, but that they had to get up, go again, and give it they’re all.
In the pre-match press conference, head coach Igor Stimac said that despite the results so far, “nothing much has changed” and the team was “still alive in the championship. We are still here to win the tournament.”
The two teams had played two back-to-back international friendlies in Kathmandu in the first week of September where India had won the second match 2-1, after having drawn the first.
Stimac stated: “We know them very well and have played twice against them. It’s an open game and if we play well, and do it right on the pitch, I am sure that we can win the game. There is no other option for us than to go out there and win it,” Stimac stated.
Nepal currently leads the points table with six points after winning both of its matches against the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
The Blue Tigers held their first practice session on Saturday, and all 23 players are eligible for selection, according to the news from the camp. On the field, Stimac criticized a lack of discipline.
India will almost certainly need to win their final game against the Maldives to guarantee their spot in the finals. A tie or a loss, on the other hand, will bring a few more permutations and combinations into play. The match versus the Maldives will take place on Wednesday, October 13th.
