Shanmugam Venkatesh reveals why Chhetri was subbed off vs Afghanistan

The game was low on goals but high on entertainment for both sets of fans and their neutrals.

The Indian national team finished their second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint-qualifiers with a draw. The match against Afghanistan saw both teams try their best to find a winner, but to no avail. An own-goal from Afghanistan’s Ovays Azizi and a late equalizer from Hossein Zamani saw the teams share the points. Assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh reacted to the match in the post-match media interaction. He spoke on several talking points from the draw and responded to the questions posed by the press.

The result ensures India’s third place finish in the group, which gives them a direct place in the final round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers. However, Igor Stimac’s men under-performed on the night where they were favorites to win. Only one win in four games against teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan was highly disappointing from the Blue Tigers.

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Sunil Chhetri’s substitution

Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri was taken off in the match at the stroke of the 69th minute. The fans did not expect him to leave the pitch, especially when India needed more goals. Explaining the decision, Shanmugam Venkatesh said, “It was the coach’s decision. It was according to the game and requirement of the position.”

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Fatigue affecting players

The tactician also talked about whether the players lost focus as the match went on. He explained, “Every five minutes, the situation is different in a football game. Of course, in the 90th minute we were trying to score and some of the players were tired. It happens in a game.”

Comparison between performances

Shanmugam Venkatesh was also part of the coaching setup during the previous World Cup Qualifying campaign. When prompted to compare the performances in both editions, he responded by saying, “There’s a long way to go. You cannot compare to last year and now, as the players are new, most of the players. We are confident we will reach the next level.”

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