‘With experience, team will improve’

New Delhi, October 8
Amid the feeling of contentment in a few decked-up stands of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, coach Luis Norton de Matos expressed his displeasure following India’s 3-0 loss to USA in the U-17 World Cup.
“I’m happy with the collective effort of the players for the team, but not happy with the result. As I had said, there is a big gap between us and other teams in our group,” de Matos said. “We got the punishment from them. But, with some more experience, they can play better against teams with calibre.”
After a first half in which India rarely got a feel of the ball, the hosts produced an improved performance in the second half. “We conceded a stupid goal in the first half. At halftime, it was very much possible to overturn the game,” he said.
Trailing 0-2 with about seven minutes of regulation time left, India came agonisingly close to scoring their first goal in the premier event, but defender Anwar Ali’s effort hit the woodwork.
“If we had scored that goal, the scoreline would have been 2-1 and USA would have been different in the last 10 minutes. That could have changed the complexion.”
The result was on expected lines, and the Portuguese coach acknowledged USA’s superiority and the Indians’ lack of experience at this level. “Of course there is this big problem of culture of not playing in such competitions. It is the first time they are playing in a tournament of such magnitude,” he said.
“USA played seven international games in the last two months as part of their preparations. They have been preparing very hard for this tournament.”
De Matos said India should look at the bigger picture.
“This is the first time our players were playing in front of a crowd of 40,000 and that too against a team of the quality of USA,” said the 63-year-old. “My players were shy at the beginning. It’s very hard to control emotions at this level. We were more confident in the second half. The experience of playing in the World Cup will help them in the long run.”
US coach lauds goalkeeper
USA coach John Hackworth too was not pleased with his team’s performance but praised the Indians for their spirit and tenacity. “This is not the way we play. But India really put up a fight. They were too hard to break down. So, full credit to them,” Hackworth said.
Asked to name one Indian player who stood out in the game, the American picked three — central defenders Anwar and Sanjeev Stalin and goalkeeper Dheeraj Moirangthem.
Dheeraj, however, was disappointed with the result. “My good performance matters little if the team does not win,” Dheeraj said.