adminAl Rayyan (Qatar), January 17
After a gritty performance against Australia, India face Uzbekistan in their second group match of the Asian Cup here tomorrow, aiming to assert themselves better than what they managed in the opening game.
India lost to title-contenders Australia 0-2 after denying the Socceroos any success for 50 minutes. The Australians were at their attacking best but Sunil Chhetri’s men managed to avoid a bigger margin of defeat. The defensive compactness, especially in the first half, would be something that the Indians would like to continue against the Uzbeks, who are a bit disappointed after playing out a 0-0 draw against Syria in their opening match.
Chhetri had earlier conceded that Uzbekistan as well as Australia are of World Cup level but he and his team will not be too scared of the White Wolves after their fighting show against the Socceroos.
For sure, world No. 102 India will not sit back too deep against No. 68 Uzbekistan. Instead, they would look to play their own game and press for counterattacks.
“It is a huge match for us. The first game was an experience for the boys,” India coach Igor Stimac said. “Uzbekistan are very competitive, and since they did not gain a win in their last game, we expect them to put a lot of pressure on us.”
