India take on ‘tricky’ Maldives in SAFF semis

Thiruvananthapuram, Any slip-up in tomorrow’s semifinal against Maldives could be a disaster for hosts India but head coach Stephen Constantine today backed his players to come out triumphant in the potentially high-voltage clash in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup.
Constantine’s India went into the tournament after suffering five straight losses and one win in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and they would be under pressure to make amends in the SAFF Cup which they have dominated for long with six titles in their kitty.
India have featured in all but one summit clash of the earlier 10 editions of the SAFF Cup and anything less than a final appearance in this tournament will be considered a disaster.
Maldives are the second most successful side in SAFF Cup history and they are currently above India in the FIFA rankings at 160th (against India’s 166th).
“We are looking forward to a difficult game against Maldives as they are a good side. Not only are Maldives highly organised, they are good in the attacking department too. It will be tricky,” he said.
Talking about his squad, Constantine said, “The 19 players we have now have all performed brilliantly. Although our preparations were hampered by Robin Singh’s injury, which is a big blow for us, life goes on. But it also gives the opportunity to other players to fill into his shoes.”
The Briton said that the SAFF Cup gave the youngsters the opportunity to play opponents of the same level, allowing them to evolve in a competitive environment.
Teenager Chhangte Lallianzuala, who scored a double against Nepal, and 22-year-old defender Koushik Sarkar, have made their debut in the SAFF Cup so far. In his 11 matches at the helm, Constantine has fielded 22 debutants.
India have beaten the island nation six times in the knockout stage of the SAFF Cup previously. In the last edition in Kathmandu, India had beaten Maldives 1-0 at the same stage, courtesy an Arnab Mondal goal. “In today’s football, every match is difficult. The teams study each other so much. So you ought to do the extra bit to topple the rivals. Even Maldives will aim at that; and we will aim at that too,” Mondal said.
“That (1-0 win) was two years back. Tomorrow is a new day. I don’t think the strike is any more significant.”
Pritam Kotal agreed with Mondal. “You have to work hard and play like as if it’s your last match. This is the ideology of the coach and we have played every match based on this ideology,” said the defender. “Although Maldives will be a tricky fixture, we will try to play our game. We need to follow the coach’s plan. They are a good attacking side and we need to maintain our shape. We will give our 100 percent on the pitch.”— PTI
Today’s matches
Semifinals
India v Maldives (3.30pm)
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (6.30pm)