'It is my mistake, I don't want to blame anybody': Khalid Jamil reflects on the loss against Singapore

The Blue Tigers are officially out of the AFC Asian Cup contention

The Indian National Football Team suffered a gruelling 2-1 loss against the 158th-ranked Singapore National Football team in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on the 14th of October, held at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa.

The Blue Tigers were on the upper edge of the match for the vast majority of the first half, fueled by an early stunner from Chhangte, which provided the hosts with a vital advantage. Later, as the game progressed, the team lacked the vigour and intensity, which ultimately led them to concede two goals off Song Ui-Young and end up on the losing side.

India have officially been eliminated from contention for a spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2027! Although they will play the remaining matches, the senior team will not be seen in any competitive match until the next cycle begins in November 2027!#IndianFootball… pic.twitter.com/2H5F4NmWPa

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) October 14, 2025

With this loss, India has cemented their position at the bottom of the table with two draws and two losses and has been officially knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualification contention as they can no longer reach finish in a position that would secure progression towards the AFC Asian Cup.

“I don’t have to say much. I just want to say that everybody worked very hard, but this is football, sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you don’t get it,” said the Head Coach Khalid Jamil in the post-match press conference.

On the remaining matches of the Qualifiers

The gaffer was questioned about what his plans were for the remaining matches of the qualifiers, since Indian Football team were officially out of the qualification scenario.

The question highlighted his take on the inclusion of young players into the squad for the upcoming matches, to which he answered: “Yes, I have to think about it. But now, I don’t have much to say. Feeling sad that we are out. I don’t have to blame anybody; it is my mistake”

“I have done many things, and I want to try to rectify those mistakes (for the upcoming matches). We will think about it, who is fit to play, who is willing to play, we would have to choose. ” he added.

Also Read: India vs Singapore Player Ratings: Chhangte wonder goal; Subhasish Bose, Rahul Bheke dreadful

What went wrong for India and the future intent

Khalid Jamil spoke about his post match discussions with Mahesh Gawli on how the lack of concentration led to India conceding two goals and how they could have been avoided.

He said, “If I have to say one thing, it would be the lack of concentration. As you saw, we were much better than the last game. After scoring an early goal within 25 minutes, we conceded a goal in the end of the first half. It is due to a lack of concentration”.

While asked about the lack of efficiency in converting the corner kicks and set-pieces, he acknowledged, “Yes, as you said, it is correct. Last game we didn’t (convert) the corner kicks. This game we got more corners. The first goal was okay, but we needed another goal to settle in the match. But it sometimes happens in football”

On being questioned whether this attacking intent displayed in the first 25 minutes would be seen more often, the gaffer emphasised that no matter the style of play, it was results that mattered to him at the end of the day.

On Brandon, Sunil Chhetri and the lack of matches

On being questioned about the late substitution of Brandon Fernandes and how he could have potentially helped the Blue Tigers in the set-pieces and midfield, Khalid justified to the media, “Brandon, yes I can say, because he didn’t play since four months. I thought that I could use him for twenty minutes and not use him early. This is one point why I didn’t use him”.

When asked if he felt that he gave too much time to Chhetri and a call on whether he should continue or not, he respectfully declined saying, “No, Chhetri is a good player, no doubt about him, because if you see his performance, he worked very hard and I called him because of his performance. His performance last year was good and he is one of the best striker we have. We will think about it later (Chhetri’s future). It is not the right time”.

He concluded the press conference yet again highlighting the lack of concentration from the team, the problems in the availability of the players and about the lack of matches which affected their preperations and performance.

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