Indian football coach Igor Stimac consults astrologer ahead of matches
Igor Stimac, the head coach of India’s national football team, sought astrological insights from Bhupesh Sharma, an astrologer based in…
Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac has backed goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after the keeper conceded a crucial goal against Bangladesh in the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifier match on Tuesday.
Notably, Sandhu failed to catch the free-kick from Bangladeshi skipper Jamal Bhuyan in the 42nd minute which was converted by Saad Uddin.
Backing Gurpreet, who made innumerable saves in Doha last month, Stimac told reporters at the post-match press conference, “That’s the life of a goalkeeper. Sometimes you have a great day and sometimes you make mistakes from judgement. These are my players and I will defend them with all my life.”
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However, the Croatian coach feels that the goal India conceded was a “silly” one. “Bangladesh were resilient. We did not react well and conceded a silly goal. India is trying to play modern and technical football. There is still much more to do.”
Backing his young players, the 1998 World Cup bronze medallist said, “We need to stay optimistic. We have shown we have confidence to play against anyone.”
Talking about the match, the hosts had a flurry of chances to peg back in the second half but they failed to cash in the opportunities. It was only in the 88th minute that Adil Khan headed in a goal to help the match end with figures of 1-1.
With the draw, India move to two points from three games in the Group E table after losing their campaign opener to Oman and playing goalless draw with Qatar in the next game.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, who prior to this game had lost both their matches against Afghanistan and Qatar, opened their account with the first point but remained at the bottom of the five-team group.
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