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India suffered their first defeat against Nepal after two decades on Thursday and midfield general Mehtab Hossain admitted that it is one of the worst results of his playing career.
“Yes it is one of the worst. We needed to perform better today and possibly would have had we adjusted better to the new system. We were trying something different today and just the time when it started to click we conceded from a set-piece. That was a huge blow for us and we didn’t recover,” Mehtab told reporters after the game
Several members of the India team have the experience of playing in front of big crowds but on Thursday they looked rattled by the electrifying atmosphere at the packed Dasarath Stadium and eventually lost 2-1.
East Bengal’s Mehtab in particular is familiar with huge attendances but stated that the noise made by the Nepali fans made it difficult for his teammates to communicate.
“Yes I have played in front of big crowds many times but today, it was just too loud and the stands were pretty close to the pitch so it made it very difficult to communicate with each other,” he said.
India are expected to miss skipper and talisman Sunil Chhetri in the semis due to suspension but Mehtab believes his team has able replacements.
“If he (Sunil) is unavailable, I am sure either Robin (Singh) or Jeje (Lalpekhlua) will step up,” he commented.
It’s a common feeling at SAFF Championship 2013 that defending champions and six-time record champions India have been lucky to be in the semis but the midfielder opined that his team are not embarrassed to be in the last four and determined to bounce back.
“I know this is not the best way to qualify from the group but at the end of the day we finished above two other teams. We have to forget about what has happened in the last three games and look ahead to the semis. We will start fresh and aim for an improved showing,” he concluded.
