AFC Asian Cup | We will try to win every match that we play, states Stephen Constantine

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Stephen Constantine has asserted that the Indian team tries to win every game that it plays after the Blue Tigers registered a brilliant win against Thailand on Sunday. The coach said that there are two more matches to go and they will try to get the two points needed to qualify for the knockouts.

The Indian football team put up a stellar show in the second half of their inaugural game in the AFC Asian Cup to register a big win against Thailand yesterday. Led by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Blue Tigers were off to a great start against Thailand as Sunil Chhetri converted a penalty in the 27th minute to give India a lead. Chhetri again nailed a field goal in the second half and the other two were scored by Anirudh Thapa and Jeje Lalpekhlua in the 68th and 80th minutes respectively. 

However, the Indian coach is not carried away with the big win and wants his side to continue doing well in the remaining two matches of the group stage to make it to the next round of the prestigious tournament in the UAE.

“We try to win every match that we play in. We don’t go into a match expecting to win 4-1 or 5-1. However, we are not trying to get carried away with the emotion,” Constantine said during the post-match press conference, reported AIFF. 

“We still have two games left and we still need another two points to qualify from the group stages. After we have qualified, we can get a little bit excited but our primary job is still to qualify out of the group stages. It is a cliché as it is just another match for us. It is another win that we wanted and have got in the AFC Asian Cup. Tomorrow morning, we train again.”

India, the second youngest side in the tournament with an average age of 25, registered its first win in AFC Asian Cup since 1964. The Indian team tried to make the most of the opportunities that they got during the entire duration of the game yesterday. The coach said that the team was a bit nervous in the first 15-20 minutes and hence started a little slower. 

“We gave a good testament of ourselves against Thailand and we are a young side that is capable of a lot many things. People got a taste of what we can do, today.

“The main thing was to make the most of our chances and that we did today. I am happy that we are converting from the chances that we are making. We do start a little slow as the first 15-20minutes can be a little nervous. It was important to not concede a goal in those minutes and that is what we did,” Constantine concluded.

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