We complicated simple things today, demons Igor Stimac after disappointing Afghanistan draw in FIFA WC Qualifiers

Igor Stimac praised the Indian defenders today.

Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian men’s football team, oversaw his side play a goalless draw against a much lower-ranked Afghanistan side in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (second round) fixture in Saudi Arabia on 22 March 2024. The Blue Tigers created several scoring chances but a lack of precision cost them a much-needed win.

Talking about the game during the post-match press conference, Igor Stimac pointed out some key areas where his players must improve going forward into the forthcoming matches. He praised the defenders for keeping Afghanistan’s forwards at bay but at the same time called out his team’s tendency to overcomplicate simple things during the match.

Here is a look at what Igor Stimac had to say during the post-match interaction after a sleep-inducing draw against the Lions of Khorasan:

Disappointed with the result

Igor Stimac, the head coach of the Indian men’s national team, was disappointed with his team’s inability to convert chances into goals. Providing his analysis, the tactician said, “The match was interesting. I am disappointed with the result in the end because we created three or four really good chances. We could not score which is the problem that has been following us for many years, it is a well-known problem in our football.”

Need to improve

The Croatian demanded his team to become sharper in some key aspects, especially in the forward department.

“We were much closer to winning the game with the chances that we created. We tried all of the players we had available in the frontline but it did not work today. There are a few things we need to improve on obviously as we complicate simple things today in the offensive plan. I am not happy about that. The defenders did well and did not give away anything. But we need to be better in passing, creating chances and attacking the box when the crosses are coming from the flanks,” Stimac concluded.

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