India captain Sunil Chhetri wants team to move on from Australia loss

Doha, January 14

India captain Sunil Chhetri has urged his teammates to look forward and focus on the match against Uzbekistan after the 0-2 loss to heavyweights Australia in their AFC Asian Cup opener.

“There are pros and cons to this game. It’s not easy to play the best team in Asia,” Chhetri said. “We are not used to playing sides like these, as we don’t play against them very often, so you never know what to expect.”

Chhetri said the focus is now on their match against Uzbekistan on January 18.

“It’s a mixed bag of feelings right now. Once we watch the videos, perhaps we will gain more confidence and work on the things that we could have done better. Uzbekistan are not Australia, but they’re a good side nonetheless. So it will be a big challenge in that game too,” he said.

Hailing his wards’ performance, Indian head coach Igor Stimac said: “I am proud of my boys. They showed that they are a bunch of honest, hard-working people, who are committed to whatever we ask of them.”

India showed that a side placed 102nd in the FIFA rankings can trouble a team placed 77 places above them.

“The second half was not good for us. We could not get out of the zone. The expectations were on the Australian players. They’re game-ready, so I am overall happy with the result,” he said. — PTI

Japan fight back to beat Vietnam in 6-goal thriller

DOHA: Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in their Asian Cup Group D opener, in which five goals were scored in the first half and Takumi Minamino grabbed a brace. Japan were shocked into action when Vietnam took a 2-1 lead before the Samurai Blue cut their Southeast Asian opponents down to size with two goals just before halftime. Reuters