Ghana U-17 coach Eric Fabino feels India were no match for their level
Ghana’s U-17 coach Eric Fabino had an honest assessment of India, after his boys ran a 4-0 riot over them on Thursday, stating that the hosts were no match for their fast-paced football. Ghana qualified for the round of 16 as India bowed out of the tournament without a single win from three games.
India’s U-17 side faced the heaviest defeat of their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign on Thursday as they went down 4-0 to two-time tournament winners Ghana. After a fiery display against Colombia in the previous game, which they lost 2-1, the hosts were expected to exhibit more determination and grit in their third and potentially final game. Instead, India chief coach Luis Norton de Matos saw his boys getting bullied around for much of the third game, which ended in a humiliating defeat.
An ecstatic
As upsetting as it might sound, it was the truth and de Matos was quick to acknowledge it after the game. India
“Our team was finished physically by first 45 minutes. There was no energy left in them to match that pace in the second half. If they had to play one more match, they couldn't have played as they didn't have any energy left. But this Ghana team can play eight such games with same intensity," said De Matos
Despite years of preparation, India had one of the worst campaigns in the tournament as they failed to garner a single point in three games and conceded nine goals. Coach De Matos, however, was quite peeved when asked about it.
“Would love to see how senior India teams perform against senior teams of these countries! Had it been Nepal, Bhutan or Maldives, it could be different. But I am proud of this team and we need to invest in them," he said.
