Indian football team: How have the Blue Tigers performed under head coach Igor Stimac?
India have reached the final of the SAFF Championship 2021 after a 3-1 win over Maldives on Wednesday at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives.
This was the fifth time that the Blue Tigers managed to win a game since Igor Stimac became the head of the team two years ago in May 2019. India have till now played 21 matches under the Croatian Coach’s tutelage out of which they have won five times, lost seven matches, and drew nine times.
The Blue Tigers’ first win came against Thailand on June 8, 2019, in the King’s Cup in Buriram where Anirudh Thapa’s strike had made the difference.
Editors’ Picks
The highlight of the Stimac era was the Blue Tigers’ draw against reigning Asian champions Qatar in 2019. A gritty Indian side without their star player Sunil Chhetri had managed to hold the mighty Qataris to a goalless draw in their second World Cup qualifying game in Doha. It was a spirited performance by the Blue Tigers and a lot of credit must go to their coach.
In his stint so far, the former Croatian international handed debuts to as many as 21 Indian footballers. FC Goa full-back Seriton Fernandes and Chennaiyin FC forward Rahim Ali became the 21st and 22nd players to make their international debuts under Stimac on September 2 against Nepal.
How has India performed under Igor Stimac?
Date | Match | Competition | Indian Goalscorers | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 5, 2019 | Curacao 3-1 India | King’s Cup | Sunil Chhetri | Buriram |
June 8, 2019 | India 1-0 Thailand | King’s Cup | Anirudh Thapa | Buriram |
July 7, 2019 | India 2-4 Tajikistan | Intercontinental Cup | Sunil Chhetri (2) | Ahmedabad |
July 13, 2019 | India 2-5 DPR Korea | Intercontinental Cup | Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri | Ahmedabad |
July 16, 2019 | India 1-1 Syria | Intercontinental Cup | Narender Gahlot | Ahmedabad |
September 5, 2019 | India 1-2 Oman | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Sunil Chhetri | Guwahati |
September 10, 2019 | Qatar 0-0 India | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | – | Doha |
October 15, 2019 | India 1-1 Bangladesh | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Adil Khan | Kolkata |
November 14, 2019 | Afghanistan 1-1 India | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Len Doungel | Dushanbe |
November 19, 2019 | Oman 1-0 India | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | – | Muscat |
March 25, 2021 | Oman 1-1 India | International friendly | Manvir Singh | Dubai |
March 29, 2021 | UAE 6-0 India | International friendly | – | Dubai |
June 3, 2021 | India 0-1 Qatar | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | – | Doha |
June 7, 2021 | Bangladesh 0-2 India | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Sunil Chhetri (2) | Doha |
June 15, 2021 | India 1-1 Afghanistan | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Ovays Azizi (OG) | Doha |
September 2, 2021 | Nepal 1-1 India | International friendly | Anirudh Thapa | Kathmandu |
September 5, 2021 | Nepal 1-2 India | International friendly | Farukh Chaudhary, Sunil Chhetri | Kathmandu |
October 4, 2021 | Bangladesh 1-1 India | SAFF Championship 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Male |
October 7, 2021 | India 0-0 Sri Lanka | SAFF Championship 2021 | – | Male |
October 10, 2021 | Nepal 0-1 India | SAFF Championship 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Male |
October 13, 2021 | India 3-1 Maldives | SAFF Championship 2021 | Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri (2) | Male |
Challenges faced by coach Igor Stimac
The biggest challenge that the Croatian faced as India’s coach was the 16 months gap where the Indian national team did not play a single game due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After a busy 2019, where the Blue Tigers played 10 matches under Stimac’s tutelage, not a single international match was played in 2020.
Thus after playing their last competitive game in November 2019, it was only in March 2021, that Stimac got to reassemble the squad. India played two friendly matches against Oman and UAE in March 2021.