Five achievements of Igor Stimac with Indian football team

Igor Stimac had some good spells with the Indian football team.

How has the Indian men’s football team fared under Igor Stimac? Did the former coach create any impact during his term? Did he achieve any laurels with the team? Such are certain questions that were regularly asked during the Croatian’s last days with the team and are also being asked now after his departure. 

Undoubtedly every team goes with a lean patch before making a strong comeback. Even during Igor Stimac’s tenure, which lasted for around five years, there were certain triumphs that every Indian football enthusiast rejoiced. 

Here are five achievements of Igor Stimac during his tenure as the Indian football team head coach. 

5. India qualifying for 2023 AFC Asian Cup 

Although everyone would like to forget about India’s performance in the last edition of the AFC Asian Cup where the team failed to score even a single goal and lost each of their matches. Still qualifying for the mega event was itself an achievement for the Blue Tigers and Igor Stimac. 

After 1964, 1984, 2011 and 2019, the Indian football team qualified for their fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup. This was also India’s first back-to-back appearance in the major event. In the final qualifying round, India was placed with Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. They defeated every team to set their foot in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup which was held in January 2024 in Qatar. 

4. Winning the Intercontinental Cup

Another achievement under Igor Stimac was India’s triumph at the 2023 Intercontinental Cup. The tournament which was being held at the Kalinga Stadium witnessed India’s one of finest performances in years, with the team going unbeaten en route to the title. 

The Indian team won its matches against Mongolia and Vanuatu and settled for a draw against Lebanon to fix their spot in the final. In the final, they defeated Lebanon 2-0 to put their name on the cup. 

3. SAFF Championship 2021

Stimac’s first major achievement with the Indian football team was at the 2021 SAFF Championship, where they emerged as the title winners by defeating Nepal in the final by 3-0 goals. 

After a strong, commanding performance in the league stage, where they won two matches, one against Nepal and the other against Maldives, the Indian football team entered the final of the tournament along with Nepal. 

2. SAFF Championship 2023

The title win at the Intercontinental Cup was followed by the 2023 SAFF Championship, where India emerged as the winner again by going unbeaten for the whole tournament. India, who were placed in Group A, alongside Kuwait, Nepal and Pakistan won two matches and settled for a draw. 

In the semi-final, India defeated Lebanon via a penalty shoot-out and then went on to win against Kuwait via the same route to register their name as the title holder of the tournament. This period will always be regarded as the golden period of Stimac’s tenure. 

1. India entering top 100 of FIFA rankings

The major highlight during Igor Stimac’s guidance in the five years will always be sighted with India’s re-entry into the top-100 ranking in the FIFA ranking chart. After the 2023 SAFF Championship, the Indian attained the 99th rank. 

This was India’s first breakthrough into the top 100 ranking since 2018. Moreover, India’s best FIFA rank has been 94, which was achieved way back in 1996. In 2018, India went on to be at the 96th rank before losing some points and again losing their spot in the top 100. 

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