National Coach Stephen Constantine highlighted the work rate of the players in the comprehensive 3-0 victory against Kenya in the second match of the Hero Intercontinental Cup.
“I want to congratulate the boys for a hard-fought victory under difficult conditions. We didn’t play well in the first half. The win puts us in the final of the tournament. That’s what we wanted to achieve since the beginning.”
“We won most of the balls in the second half. Kenya will always be a strong team whichever squad they bring,” he said in the official post-match press conference. “The work rate today was phenomenal. The game against Chinese Taipei was one of the highest in terms of work rate. We had lost out a little bit in regaining the second ball.”
“I don’t feel we should be begging people to watch the National team. The response has been unbelievable. When the National team has been playing the manner we have been playing in the last three years it was disappointing to see the turnout in the first match,” he stated. “I expect the stands to be full in the next two matches.”
Central defender Sandesh Jhingan voted the most valuable player of the match said it is “great to play in Mumbai.”
“It is always great to play in Mumbai. Blue Pilgrims is a unique concept. I am happy that everybody can go back with a smile on their face,” Jhingan maintained. “There is never any pressure to play in front of such a full crowd. It was extra motivation from the moment when we entered the stadium. We knew we had to deliver and we did,” Jhingan informed.
The Indian team will next face off against the Kiwis on Thursday 7th June at the Mumbai Football Arena at 8 pm IST. Catch all the live action on Star Sports 2 and Hotstar or Jio TV.
