We gave our 100 per cent in every match, asserts Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua was adamant that the Indian football team gave their 100 per cent in every match and were unfortunate to exit the tournament after the group stage. India suffered a last-minute goal against Bahrain which crushed their chance of making the knockout stage of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The Indian football team suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in their final group encounter against Bahrain which ultimately knocked them out of the ongoing 2019 AFC Asian Cup a couple of weeks ago. The Blue Tigers got off to a promising start in the tournament beating Thailand by a scoreline of 4-1 before suffering back-to-back losses against UAE and Bahrain.
Veteran Indian forward, Jeje Lalpekhlua, was adamant that Stephen Constantine’s squad gave their 100 per cent in each and every match they played in the middle east. Jeje added that experience gained by the youngsters in the team will be invaluable in the future.
“We gave our 100 per cent in every match. But we could have done better. Not qualifying out of the group stages is a setback for us. But it shows anything can happen in football.
“It was a very difficult match against Bahrain and it was unfortunate the way we lost. However, that is life in football, and the important part is the experience earned by the young players that will give dividends in future,” Jeje was quoted as saying by the official website of All India Football Federation.
India needed a draw in the final group match against Bahrain to reach the round of 16 but conceded a penalty in the dying stages of the group match against Bahrain. India had qualified for the Asian Cup after an eight-year gap. The win against Thailand was India’s first win in the tournament since 1964.
“Our biggest achievement was the win against Thailand. But we have to make Asian Cup qualification a regular feature. Now we need to focus to do well in World Cup Qualifiers, followed by yet again qualifying for the Asian Cup [for 2023].
“The sleeping giant is now awake. We have shown to all in Asia that we belong on the same page as them,” Lalpekhlua said. “Our performance in the Asian Cup has improved tenfold, and it can only get better from here as young players have been given the needed experience. Indian football can go only upwards from here towards a brighter future,” Jeje concluded.
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