Although his wards ended their U-17 World Cup campaign on a poor note, India U-17 coach Luis Norton de Matos asserted on Thursday that the experience may prove to be valuable for the future of Indian football.
Pointing out that the standard of the U-17 World Cup is far higher than the I-League and the Indian Super League (ISL), he said his boys have taken away valuable lessons from the tournament which will stand them in good stead when they represent the country in senior level.
“They (India U-17 footballers) are as intelligent as others. This (FIFA U-17 World Cup) is better than I-League, this experience is stronger than I-League. Because I know very well when the ISL teams go to play against the fourth division sides in Spain, they lose,” Norton told reporters during the post-match press conference.
Praising India’s performance, he said: “After two hard games at this level I knew it would be complicated to play against Ghana. Ghana to me were the strongest team in the Group. They have very fast players, all of whom can decide the fate of the match.”
“We were physically very tired at the half time. When you are physically drained out, your brain does not work and you commit silly mistakes. I am very proud of my boys,” he added. “The difference between the two teams was too big.”