India geared up for tougher challenge against Lebanon
After escaping with a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan, India are now gearing up for a tougher test against Lebanon in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 qualifier at the Al-Salem Stadium here Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Sep 24, 2013, 07:22 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Kuwait City: After escaping with a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan, India are now gearing up for a tougher test against Lebanon in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 qualifier at the Al-Salem Stadium here Wednesday.
For the Indian team comprising U-15 boys from the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) regional academies, the 1-1 draw against a powerful Tajikistan was like a lucky escape. After all, Tajikistan pumped in a dozen goals against Bhutan in their second match.
For the record, Lebanon, more physical than India`s U-15 boys, won their first match against Bhutan 4-2 only to go down to hosts Kuwait 1-5 in their second match.
India coach Goutam Ghosh remains hopeful about the boys.
“You need to remember their age. They are not even 15. Their biggest strength is that they learn fast,” head coach Goutam Ghosh said on the eve of the match here Tuesday.
Scott O`Donell, the technical director of AIFF Academies and Director, said that the boys didn`t play to their potential against Taijikistan.
"The positive stays that in our first match you didn`t play to your full potential," said Scott, who is here as an observer.
Ghosh said the boys had their moments against Tajikistan but couldn`t capitalise on them.
“We had our moments against Tajikistan and we need to capitalise on them. It was the first-ever AFC Match for the boys. We need to plug in the holes and improve on our positives,” Ghosh said.
Ghosh remained optimistic that the India can prevail over Lebanon.
"Our boys have settled down and will go out and play. We are confident about their potential," he said.
Lebanon coach Ibrahim said his boys are determined to bounce back from the loss they suffered against Kuwait.
"It was a bad day for us. But we have to come back strongly and we have a day to recover," said Ibrahim.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.