KOLKATA: Amidst the ten goals that brought grunts, oohs and aahs from the crowd, the Salt Lake Stadium had one goal to celebrate across the two games it hosted on Saturday (vs Brazil) and Tuesday (vs Uruguay). While it may not matter in the larger perspective, Anirudh Thapa and head coach Khalid Jamil will not forget it.
As Ryan Williams got the ball into space, he had the goal in his sight. As he launched a curling effort towards Uruguay keeper Thiago Cardozo, the ball spilled off the his gloves. Then, Thapa, running from the left channel, rushed to the box to capitalise on his mistake to score. The storied venue, with attendances lower than they were on Saturday, broke into raptures, as Thapa ran to the corner flag to celebrate. Jamil ran from one end of his touchline area to the other to celebrate with his players and kneeled down to pray in happiness.
But after that goal, inclement weather followed, and India’s momentum went away. The visiting La Celeste side took the lead right after the rain break with Maximiliano Araujo scoring.
Addressing reporters after the match on Tuesday, Jamil said, “It was a good feeling but after that the opponents dominated. Till the final whistle we have to fight and we being the hosts, we have to show character,” he said after India's 1-6 loss on Tuesday.
Coach takes ‘blame’
Jamil further went on to say that he was to blame and wanted time to see where it went wrong. "I fully blame myself. We should not give any excuse. I am not blaming anyone, but I made many mistakes. We have to rectify them," he said.
Asked to elaborate on them, the coach said he needed time to assess the matches before reaching conclusions. "Yes, many mistakes. You can say both. But now this is not the right time to say anything. I have to think about the two matches, who did what. There are many things, but we have to solve the problems immediately. The concentration, the lack of concentration of all the players - we have to give good instructions," he said.
And as players disperse to their respective clubs for the Indian Super League, Jamil will go back to the drawing board and hopes to find a solution as another set of tough international matches are on the menu. In addition to the SAFF Championships, the Blue Tigers travel to New Zealand – another FIFA World Cup playing side.
Be careful: What Forlan told players after India equalised
As the arena just witnessed an historic goal, the dugout in which Diego Forlan sat was stunned. Uruguay just had the best start possible, only to be level-pegging against an India side fresh off an 0-4 defeat to Brazil. But moments after the goal, thunderstorms and lightning took over. The match was stopped for a brief period due to inclement weather. But as soon as the Uruguayans returned to the pitch, they took no time to take the lead back. “I told them, ‘be careful.’ Because India was good on the transition. They got the ball and had the ability to damage us. I told them to not make any more mistakes and it will be really difficult for us if they score another goal,” he said.
