Indian Football Team Aims for Redemption Against New Zealand, Says Coach Khalid Jamil

Christchurch, November 14 (Daily Kiran) : The head coach of the Indian men’s national football team, Khalid Jamil, has called on his players to take responsibility and improve their performance. The team is set to face New Zealand in the second international friendly match on Sunday at One New Zealand Stadium.

In their first friendly match in Auckland, India suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat. Jesse Randall scored twice for New Zealand, while Chris Wood and Lachlan Belles each added a goal. Additionally, Indian player Bijoy Varghese inadvertently scored an own goal.

Acknowledging the disappointing performance in Auckland, Jamil stated that despite the challenges faced during preparation, there would be no excuses for the loss. He urged his players to give their best in Christchurch.

“If you look at the result, it was not what we expected, but the players are giving their all. Their attitude has been very positive. There’s no doubt we played against a strong team, but we cannot make excuses. We need to rectify our mistakes and make a comeback. Every player must take responsibility and leave everything on the field in tomorrow’s match,” Jamil emphasized.

Before the first match, the Indian team dealt with challenges such as a significant time difference of seven and a half hours and limited preparation time. However, Jamil noted that the players have now acclimatized to the environment. “We are playing away from home, and there is a seven and a half hour time difference. We had only one day to practice before travel, and just two days later, we had to play. It takes time to adjust to the surroundings. Sometimes the mind is ready, but the body does not cooperate. However, I believe all players have now fully adapted to the conditions,” he added.

Taking responsibility for the loss, Jamil pointed out the individual errors that led to goals against his team. He remarked, “Yes, it’s my fault. There were some personal mistakes that caused us to concede goals. The positive takeaway is the players’ attitude; they are fully ready to bounce back.”

Indian captain Anirudh Thapa, leading the team for the second time in his international career during the Auckland match, described the result as disappointing and stressed the importance of better discipline and teamwork. “This was a very disappointing result for us. After the match, all the players were very upset. We came here intending to perform well, but New Zealand was strong and capitalized on our mistakes. As a team, we need to take responsibility. We know we can do better, and we must prove that tomorrow,” Thapa stated.

The midfielder also emphasized the need for players to stay united and support one another during tough moments. “At this level, you cannot afford too many mistakes. We need to be more disciplined, play together, and improve our coordination,” he said.

On Friday evening, the Indian team departed for Christchurch. Earlier that day, players who did not play the full 90 minutes in Auckland participated in a gym session. The team completed their final training session on the match field on Saturday. Jamil appealed to Indian football fans for patience and continued support, explaining that the team is currently undergoing a rebuilding process, giving opportunities to new players. “We are going through a good process, and we need to play matches like this. We are also giving chances to new players,” he noted.

In the Auckland match, four players—Muhammad Suhail, David Lalhalansanga, Tomba Singh Haobam, and Ricky Mitei Haobam—made their international debuts. Jamil stated, “We must make a comeback on Sunday. I will leave no stone unturned in this match. We need to give our all. I’ve conveyed this message to the players. We must go out and give our best. All players are very motivated.”

Thapa echoed the coach’s confidence, stating that the team is determined to capitalize on the second opportunity against New Zealand. He added, “We cannot change the past result, but we can learn from it. We want to perform much better this time.” This match will be the first international football game held at One New Zealand Stadium, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators and opened in March this year.