We are still eyeing to reach our targets, says Mauritius coach Guillaume Moullec after draw against India in Intercontinental Cup

Guillaume Moullec also praised the atmosphere of the stadium along with fans.

Mauritius picked up a hard-fought and well-earned 0-0 draw against India in their first match of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup. Guillaume Moullec’s side maintained a stubborn defensive line to frustrate the Blue Tigers and even looked dangerous on the front foot, coming close to snatching a winner multiple times in their admirable effort.

Moullec’s reaction to the draw

Despite the fighting draw, Guillaume Moullec wasn’t satisfied with his team’s performance as he stated after the game, “We are still eyeing to reach our targets. Even if there is room for improvement, we showed how we can play as two players were 17 years old. It wasn’t that I’m totally satisfied and I expected more from them, but that’s a good thing because we now know our targets and are ready to play against Syria.”

Thoughts on adapting to competition

But the gaffer admitted that it was a difficult challenge for Mauritius as their team only reached Hyderabad one day before the game. Speaking on the task of facing Syria next, Guillaume Moullec explained, “Today it was difficult as my team only arrived yesterday. But we got the draw today. Even if we have to play in two days against Syria with more local players, then it would be more comfortable.

“I’m expecting progress in our play against Syria but that will be a tough game. Most of the Mauritius players play in Mauritius, so in the last few weeks they had to train extra hard and only arrived here yesterday,” Guillaume Moullec also quipped.

Captain Lyndsay Rose reflects on the result  

Mauritius defender Lyndsay Rose was a well-deserved Man of the Match for his dominant performance and ensuring his side got a draw. Speaking on the result, Guillaume Moullec stated, “We have a clean sheet, so that’s a good point. We traveled yesterday, most of us arrived at night and it was a long day.

“We needed to keep more possession and play better with the ball. We also have to take up our chances, we got the clean sheet but we have to do more upfront. But we are still positive.”

Rose’s thoughts on facing India

When asked if he felt that his backline had it easy against the Indian frontline in the game and to reflect on his coach’s comments, Rose explained, “We finished well against a very good Indian team. They changed a coach and we can see he brings something different. We faced a very good team today.

“We can see that India have a lot of good players who like to play football, they’re fast, strong and we faced a good team and managed to keep a draw today.”

“The goal today was to be combined with an emphasis to feed the striker. The most important thing was being efficient. We all tried to keep our compactness, to be close to each other and to pass along with each well. We faced a very good India team and it was not easy,” he added.

Special praise for the atmosphere

Finally, Rose was also gracious enough to thank the 19,000+ strong fans that attended the game at the Gacchibowli Stadium and stated: “I would like to especially thank the supporters who attended the match today. It was a very good atmosphere today with all the fans.

“Normally, we don’t get to play in this kind of atmosphere or stadium in our local league, so thank you to the supporters and also the organizers because we are in a good hotel today in big rooms, so that’s very nice and I would like to convey our thanks in that aspect,” Rose finished off gracefully.

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