Al, Khor
Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac expressed disappointment after his team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Syria in their final group game of the AFC Asian Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar. The defeat means India concludes their campaign with zero points and unable to qualify for the Round of 16. In the post-match press conference, Stimac congratulated the Syrian team and acknowledged their deserving victory. He highlighted the learning experience for the Indian team and emphasized the need for goal-scorers in the squad. Stimac sees this campaign as a valuable exposure for the players, indicating that the team will be much stronger in the next edition of the AFC Asian Cup. However, the Indian football team’s campaign in this edition was marked by their inability to score goals. Stimac attributed this challenge to the absence of an experienced center forward, identifying it as a significant factor affecting their goal-scoring capabilities.