Upbeat Chhetri & Co face Nepal challenge

Express News Service

BENGALURU: For the Indian football team, the 2023 SAFF Championships are a series of progressively- tougher tests. Their opener on Wednesday, against a Pakistan side still finding their way back into international football, was always going to be their easiest hurdle. Their match against Nepal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday though will be a bit tougher. Then comes Kuwait, their toughest opponent in the group.

The rankings gap between India and Nepal shows how far Indian football has progressed in the last decade. The last time Nepal beat India was in the 2013 edition of the SAFF Championship. The rankings gap between the two teams was 20-odd back then, something which had narrowed down to just seven by early-2015. But since then, India has improved, qualifying for back-to-back Asian Cups and being consistently ranked around 100. Nepal though has stayed in the same 160-170 bracket.

They do have every chance of springing a surprise though. Their recent games have featured some impressive performances, including wins over the likes of Bangladesh and Laos. And in Vincenzo Alberto Annese, they have a coach who is extremely familiar with Indian football and players. The Italian won two I-League titles with Gokulam Kerala before managing NorthEast United in the Indian Super League. Speaking after their 1-3 loss to Kuwait in the opener, Annese described the match as ‘a final’. 

India, on the other hand, will be looking forward to carrying on the momentum that they have built over an impressive recent few months. It has now been ten months and seven games since they last tasted defeat. Winning, as the adage goes, breeds confidence. And the more confidence this team gains ahead of the Asian Cup in January, the better!

While the result against Pakistan was impressive, coach Igor Stimac will look at the performance and see scope for improvement. While Pakistan rarely threatened, there were still times when Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal looked to not be on the same page. There may have been four goals but one was a gift from the opposition keeper while two others were penalties.

In a match in which India hogged 70 per cent of the ball and made twice as many passes, they could have created a lot more. A similar performance on Saturday may not yield a similar result. Stimac though will not be on the bench for India against Nepal — his sending-off against Pakistan means that he will be banned from the touchline. He will be back for India’s final group game against Kuwait.

A win will put India through to the knockout stages of the tournament. There might be another milestone to celebrate. Two goals for Sunil Chhetri will make him the joint all-time top scorer in SAFF Championship history. 

Saturday’s matches: Pakistan vs Kuwait @ 3:30 PM; Nepal vs India @ 7:30 PM. Live on FanCode

<br /> BENGALURU: For the Indian football team, the 2023 SAFF Championships are a series of progressively- tougher tests. Their opener on Wednesday, against a Pakistan side still finding their way back into international football, was always going to be their easiest hurdle. Their match against Nepal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday though will be a bit tougher. Then comes Kuwait, their toughest opponent in the group.</p> <p>The rankings gap between India and Nepal shows how far Indian football has progressed in the last decade. The last time Nepal beat India was in the 2013 edition of the SAFF Championship. The rankings gap between the two teams was 20-odd back then, something which had narrowed down to just seven by early-2015. But since then, India has improved, qualifying for back-to-back Asian Cups and being consistently ranked around 100. Nepal though has stayed in the same 160-170 bracket.</p> <p>They do have every chance of springing a surprise though. Their recent games have featured some impressive performances, including wins over the likes of Bangladesh and Laos. And in Vincenzo Alberto Annese, they have a coach who is extremely familiar with Indian football and players. The Italian won two I-League titles with Gokulam Kerala before managing NorthEast United in the Indian Super League. Speaking after their 1-3 loss to Kuwait in the opener, Annese described the match as ‘a final’. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad843 " id="quads-ad843" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="4374041191"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>India, on the other hand, will be looking forward to carrying on the momentum that they have built over an impressive recent few months. It has now been ten months and seven games since they last tasted defeat. Winning, as the adage goes, breeds confidence. And the more confidence this team gains ahead of the Asian Cup in January, the better!</p> <p>While the result against Pakistan was impressive, coach Igor Stimac will look at the performance and see scope for improvement. While Pakistan rarely threatened, there were still times when Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal looked to not be on the same page. There may have been four goals but one was a gift from the opposition keeper while two others were penalties.</p> <p>In a match in which India hogged 70 per cent of the ball and made twice as many passes, they could have created a lot more. A similar performance on Saturday may not yield a similar result. Stimac though will not be on the bench for India against Nepal — his sending-off against Pakistan means that he will be banned from the touchline. He will be back for India’s final group game against Kuwait.</p> <p>A win will put India through to the knockout stages of the tournament. There might be another milestone to celebrate. Two goals for Sunil Chhetri will make him the joint all-time top scorer in SAFF Championship history. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad843 " id="quads-ad843" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="4374041191"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Saturday’s matches: Pakistan vs Kuwait @ 3:30 PM; Nepal vs India @ 7:30 PM. Live on FanCode<br />