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Striker Robin Singh scored twice as India strolled to victory over Sri Lanka India got their SAFF Suzuki Cup campaign off to flying start as they overcame neighbours Sri Lanka with ease taking the game 2-0 at the Trivandrum International Stadium in Trivandrum, Kerala on Friday.Striker Robin Singh who represented the Delhi Dynamos in the recently concluded Indian Super League, bagged a brace as India dominated the encounter with an impressive display of attacking football. The win puts India in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals, with India only needing a draw in their final game against Nepal to qualify as winners from Group A.Here are the 5 major talking points from the encounter between India and Sri Lanka on Friday.
#1 India played some slick and swift football
The Blue Tigers managed to dust off their neoteric uncertainty and put on a level headed display against the Lankans. India displayed intent, ambition and a lot of conviction throughout the ninety minutes. They made Sri Lanka chase the game on quite a few occasions. Chhetri and company zipped the ball from side to side, showing that on their day, they can play a far quicker version of football.
A version that we haven’t witnessed in the recent past. Fullbacks Narayan Das and Pritam Kotal pranced ahead frequently to provide an extra man in attack. Despite heading into this match on the back of a morale-boosting win, Sri Lanka never really imposed themselves.
Constantine’s men had more than 80 % possession of the ball for about 80 minutes of the match.
#2 Indias wing play promising but lacked end product
Coach Constantine would have realized his team’s attack still lacks the level of potency he would like. The Blue Citizens got into clever positions at the wings. In fact, it looked like they had made their mind up to orchestrate most of their attacks from the flanks. But the likes of Pradhan, Chhetri, Narayan Das and Jeje were guilty of not making most of their chances.
They were successful in transitioning the ball from the back with pace, but were wasteful in the final third. The crosses kept surging in all night long, but accuracy was amiss. On a couple of occasions when the crosses were pinpoint, the players inside the box were wasteful. India’s first goal was a product of some slick wing play by Chhetri which was finished off by Robin Singh.
Testament to the untapped possibilities that potentially lies waiting to be made most of by Robin and company.
#3 Sri Lanka looked devoid of ideas
Coach Sampath Perera would have been disappointed with his side tonight. The Lankan Lions failed to impose their style on the pitch. Against Nepal, they were well drilled and rarely looked like conceding. But tonight, every time India had the ball in the final third, a goal scoring chance was around the corner.
The Lankans were second best all across the field. Especially in midfield where the likes of Sanjeewa and Figurado failed to cover ground and gave the Indian midfielders way too much time on the ball. The Lankans looked surprisingly rusty after their win against Nepal.
For some reason, they were content with chasing the ball which backfired heavily on Perera’s men. Tonight’s performance reflects poorly on the Lankans before the knockout stages.
#4 Ultra defensive Lankan Lions missed a trick or two
Heading into tonight’s crucial encounter, India would have expected a defensive performance from the Lankans. But they would have hardly expected such dominance on the ball. The Lankans failed to conjure a single corner throughout the match. The only throw in that they had in India’s final third came in the 85th minute.
As full time approached, they flooded more men forward but it proved to be too late. The Lankans came off the block at walking pace and failed to hold onto the ball. They were too easily dispossessed and as a result, their forwards had a lonely night up front.
The near 20% ball procession that they had was far too less to make something out of. Sri Lanka, who have a bye against Pakistan will have to wait for a couple more days to know if they have qualified for the knockout stages.
#5 Sanju Pradhan was a livewire down the right wing
While Sunil Chhetri has been grabbing all the headlines, next to him Sanju Pradhan offered a stylish and potent performance tonight. The Sikkimese was placed at the right wing by Constantine for a reason. He made the pitch wide and marauded down the right wing all night long. His burst of pace was too much to handle for the Lankan defense.
The 26-year-old looked at ease even when occupying central positions on the field. Almost every second source of attack stemmed from Pradhan, indicating how critical he is to his side. Illustrating one of the many reasons why, Eugeneson Lyngdoh cushioned a well-weighted pass to the right but initially no one looked visible to receive the ball.
With Lyngdoh’s pass about to roll out of play, Pradhan put on the after burners and swooped in to astonishingly keep the ball inside the pitch.
