Sunil Chhetri and Co. look to make amends against Vietnam

PTI

Ho Chi Minh City, September 26

The Indian men’s football team will have its task cut out when it takes on Vietnam in the Hung Thinh Friendly Football Tournament here tomorrow.

In their opening match on Saturday, India were held to a 1-1 draw by the lower-ranked Singapore.

Up against a confident Vietnam, who blanked Singapore 4-0 in their first match, the Blue Tigers will have to be extremely focused.

“It will be a very different game against a much stronger opponent, so our approach will also change accordingly,” head coach Igor Stimac said on the eve of the match. “We need to be more focused, especially on vertical football and quick transition. At the same time, we must maintain focus on our defence as well. They pose a real threat from long range shots, and from their crosses, and we need to be able to deal with that,” said Stimac.

The Croatian closely followed the match between Vietnam and Singapore, and believes that their opponents are an organised unit.

“I’ve watched their first match against Singapore and they (Vietnam) are a very disciplined side,” he said. “They have also had enough time after the first game for recovery.” Hinting that there may be significant changes to the side, he said: “A few of our players are back and fresh now, so we will make sure we have enough strength and speed on the pitch for Vietnam.

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