We've performed well but should remain prepared for tougher opponents,says Stephen Constantine

Everything clicked perfectly for India as the national football team defeated Chinese Taipei 5-0 in their first match of the Intercontinental Cup, which has been put into place as a warm-up to the big AFC Asian Cup campaign in 2019 that India are preparing for. The scoring was initiated by skipper Chhetri in the 10th minute with Udanta Singh and Anirudh Thapa also chipping in.

Constantine has, however, warned his players not to let the victory get to their head as they would face harder opponents in later stages of the tournament.

"We have played well in quite a few games in the past three-and-half years. Today (last night) everything clicked and worked for us. The boys gave everything they had," said Constantine, as reported by PTI.

"There were some very encouraging performances from the young players and I am very pleased. We had a good game but we cannot get carried away. We have much tougher games coming up against much stronger opponents. I am happy with the result and for the players but for me it is past now," he added.

The coach also heaped praises on the captain, highlighting his capability to turn the game around at any point of time after he finished his hat-trick in an emphatic fashion banging the ball past Taiwan’s defense. 

“There’s no surprise (on the way Chhetri played) and that is why I play him. He is capable of turning the game at any given time. He is a fantastic player,” Constantine said.

Constantine also pointed out that both his players, Thapa and Subhashish Bose, exhibited impressive performances and have good potential to do well on the big platform. 

 “It was Anirudh’s first full start for India, the same for Subhasish Bose and I thought they both had good games, which is why we need with these kinds of games. The kid (Thapa) has great potential and he works hard. Obviously, we need that to continue and he could be in the national team for the next 10 years,” the chief coach said.

On the other side, Chinese Taipei coach Gary White stated that his side comprised of a young set of players and had a lot to take from the game as they would be working on fixing their flaws.

“Everything went right for us in terms of future. We had six U-23 players and two U-19 players on the pitch. In addition, we had four players who made their debut. This was a learning experience for us. We will try to fix our grey areas. Unless you try these players you will never know,” White said.

Even White was impressed by Chhetri’s performance n the game and had words of praise for Indian captain.

“He showed my young players how to deal at the senior level. My players will definitely utilize the experience in a positive manner. Congratulations to Sunil for his wonderful career and the goals. The youngsters of my team will certainly look up to him someday,” he signed off.