Couplet: Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac said that he was treated unfairly in the match against Qatar due to which the team’s dream of reaching the third round of the World Cup qualifying was shattered.
India lost the match 1-2. The Indian team was leading till 15 minutes before the scheduled time, thanks to a goal scored by Lalianzuala Chhangte in the 37th minute. But the South Korean referee gave Qatar’s goal as a valid one even though it looked like the ball had gone out of the field of play.
The controversial decision affected India’s momentum and Asian champions Qatar scored their second goal in the 85th minute through Ahmed Al Rawi. Stimac said after the match, “Qatar was lucky today because they came back from a controversial goal. It was an irregular goal and I can confirm it because I have seen the replay. The ball had gone out of the field of play but the goal was still given.”
He said, “This should not happen in today’s football because one goal changes the score of the entire match. This could have happened against Qatar as well. I am not making any excuses.” Stimac said, “I feel very bad because your 23 players worked hard and were dreaming of achieving something. But their dream was shattered because we cannot stop such incidents.” The Indian coach praised the players but also said that the team should have scored three goals in the first half.
Stimac said, “All the fans of India should be proud of the team. We controlled most of the match against the strong Qatar team. On many occasions, the Indian team played better than Qatar.” Talking about the weakness of the Indian team, he said, “We should have scored three goals in the first half and turned the match in our favour but this is something that is lacking in Indian football.”