SAFF U-18 championships | Need to replicate performance against Sri Lanka everyday, says Floyd Pinto

09/27/2019

India U-18 team coach Floyd Pinto has stated that his boys need to replicate their domineering performance against Sri Lanka on a regular basis to get the desired results. Meanwhile, India have been pitted against a strong Maldives side in the semi-final of the SAFF U-18 championships on Friday.

India personified the perfect comeback when after a goalless draw against Bangladesh they Blue Colts outplayed Sri Lanka 3-0 in their last group stage match. It was by far their best performance in the ongoing tournament and the coach has called for the team to maintain the momentum in the upcoming matches.

“It was a matter of getting into our playing style which we have been practicing in training sessions — keeping the ball, good positioning, build-ups, high intensity, penetrations and the ability to create good chances. I am sure we will only get better as the tournament progresses,” head coach Floyd Pinto said, reported Sportstar.

“I am happy with the performance against Sri Lanka. But we need to replicate it every day to achieve the desired results. We would like to stay with our improvements in the semifinal against Maldives,” he added.

India would be playing Maldives next, who have knocked out defending champions Nepal in their group stage matches and Pinto has called for his team to be physically and technically better.

“We have seen Maldives play. They have been able get out of the group, and have knocked out hosts and defending champions Nepal. That speaks about their strength. They have played two games, and conceded one goal. They are defensively robust and we feel they are physically and technically better than Sri Lanka. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

“We would also like to take in consideration the weather conditions. The boys adjusted well to the slippery ground conditions in our last match and we are aware that our match may be shifted to an artificial turf if the ground is unplayable after the first semifinal.”

The semifinal has been scheduled to be held at IST 2.45pm on Wednesday.