Stimac not 'disappointed' after India's goalless draw with Afghanistan in FIFA WC Asian qualifiers

Abha (Saudi Arabia): Indian senior men’s football team coach Igor Stimac is not "disappointed" after his side played out a goalless draw with hosts Afghanistan at the Damac Stadium in the Group A fixture of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With this result, India climbed to the second spot in Group A with four points from three matches, followed by Kuwait, who are on three points from as many games. For India, it would mean provisionally taking the second spot in Group A, three points ahead of Kuwait, who had lost 0-3 against Qatar earlier in the night. Three points for Afghanistan would draw them level with Kuwait and India, making the race to the second spot in the group a three-way battle.

"The match was interesting. I'm not disappointed with the result at the end because we created three, four really good chances. We couldn't score, which is obvious. The problem which is following us for many, many years, it's a well-known problem in our football", said Stimac in the post match press conference.

The 56-year-old, however, lamented the team's inability to be sharp in the final third. He said, "We tried all the players available, which we had in the front line but it didn't work today. Few things we need to improve obviously because simple things we complicated today in the offensive plan, and I'm not happy about that."

After the match, Stimac acknowledged that despite the lacklustre draw, there was one positive takeaway - the Indian defenders' balanced performance on the field. "The defenders did well and didn't give away anything, I would say, but we need to be better in passing, better in creating chances, and absolutely much better in attacking from the box when the crosses are coming," he affirmed. Looking ahead, India will face Afghanistan at home on March 26, with Stimac and the team determined to address their shortcomings and deliver a stronger performance in the upcoming matches.