Aleksandar Ilic: I am proud of my team for what they did today

The Cedars were knocked out despite a gritty performance against the Blue Tigers.

Lebanon were eliminated from the SAFF Championship 2023 after their defeat to India in the semi-finals at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. It took penalties to decide the outcome of the tight contest, which ended without any goals after the regulation period and extra time.

The Blue Tigers had to push hard for the win and eventually secured a place in the final thanks to a 4-2 win on penalties. Lebanon’s head coach, Aleksandar Ilic, spoke to the media after the game and was impressed by how his team started the game and prevented India from scoring throughout the fixture. Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

On missed chances

Lebanon created a lot of chances but lacked the finishing touch to score goals. The tactician spoke about having self-belief in such a scenario and said, “We must work and believe in ourselves to change the situation.” 

“I think this game was our best at this tournament. India pushed us a lot and maybe that is why we could not score goals. At the beginning of the game, we were very dangerous, India survived our chances and then it went to the penalties,” he said during his analysis of the semi-final defeat.

Importance of the time in India

Lebanon played two tournaments in quick succession in India lately - the 2023 Intercontinental Cup and the 2023 SAFF Championship. “This tournament was important for us. So many players we used in the two tournaments who proved themselves. This is just the beginning of our work and I am sure our team will be better in the future,” Aleksandar Ilic opined while talking about how the time in India will benefit Lebanon going forward.

Impressed with the effort

Lebanon’s footballers were in high spirits during the game and did not let India score despite the hosts having the backing of the capacity crowd inside the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. “I think we did a great job today (in containing the Indian attack). I am proud of my team for what they did today, they gave everything in the game,” an impressed Ilic said.

In reference to the change late on in the game where he decided to substitute his goalkeeper for the penalty shootout, the head coach explained that it was a premeditated decision. He said, “The decision was made before the match.”