India’s football head coach Igor Stimac admitted that most of their players were not up to the mark after a goalless draw against Kuwait in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. A win in this game would have boosted India’s chances to qualify for the third round, which they have never done in the past.
However, now India will need to rely on other team’s results and they will face a stiff challenge in their next game against Qatar.
India had their chances against Kuwait but could not grab it with both hands. Rahim Ali, who was added after the first half, had two great chances but he could not finish.
“We knew it was going to be tough; all these times we faced Kuwait – it was not easy. Most of the players were not up to their mark,” Stimac said after a disappointing draw.
“Disappointed. We had more confidence in passing and movement. But we couldn’t break down the Kuwait team. We were creating good pressure but lacked conviction. The weather condition also didn’t help as they knew where to stop the game. They wasted 17-18 minutes,” Stimac said.
The Croatian admitted it is going to be tough for them to fill in the big shoes of Sunil Chhetri, who played his last game for the Blue Tigers. The gaffer said they have the players but they need to be consistent with their finishing.
“It’s tough,” he admitted, “but we have players capable of stepping up to the challenge. Rahim is one of the options, those runs today but not converting into goals. We have Manvir, Liston, Sivasakthi and Gurkirat then,” he added.
India could not give a fitting farewell to their veteran Sunil Chhetri and Stimac shared his disappointment.
“Really sad for Sunil. He didn’t go with a win but we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves because we are still alive. I need to do everything to make us believe and create an environment which can take us towards the challenge of playing against the Asian Champions. It is a small hope but it’s still there. We have to give our best shot and try and win the match,” Stimac added.
“We need to believe in our team and out abilities. We have a young squad and I expect a lot from this team,” Stimac concluded.
Stimac also lauded Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was brilliant in front of the goal. India will next face Qatar on 11th June.
