It won't be easy to play Thailand on their home ground- Bibiano Fernandes

The India U-16 gaffer spoke ahead on his side's upcoming game against Southeast Asians.

After the Indian U-16 National Team came from two goals down to play out a 2-2 draw against “bigger” opponents, U-17 Bangkok Glass FC U-17 in Thailand, Head Coach Bibiano Fernandes, labelled the performance as a “brave” one.

“It was a show of immense determination and courage on display with a never-give-up attitude,” Bibiano maintained. “These are the kind of performances that helps us to believe in ourselves. The attitude of the boys was extraordinary and they kept pushing for more goals even with time running out.”

The Indian U-16s had trailed much of the match against the Thai opponents but scored in the 83rd and 86th minute to end the match 2-2. The Colts, however, had an opportunity to win the match in the dying minutes but the opposition custodian pulled off a blinder to deny them.

The Indian U-16 National Team will be facing Thailand U-16s next on July 13, 2018. The Colts had earlier faced Thailand in the Four-Nation Tournament in China and lost 1-3, courtesy two late goals.

ALSO READ

Luis Norton de Matos parts ways with Indian Arrows

India go down against South Africa in BRICS Cup opener

The highlight of the Thailand game was the fighting spirit shown by the boys- Bibiano Fernandes

“We played them in China recently and it won't be easy to play them here on their home ground. However, if we show composure in front of the goal then we can definitely overturn the result.”

“Thailand are among the best youth teams in Asia and they are exceptionally good on the ball. It will also be a mental test for us considering the result of the previous game but the boys are all pumped up and ready to test themselves once again,” Bibiano informed.

Referring to the previous match, Bibiano stated: “We were playing against a U-17 team and that was quite a challenge for us. But the boys proved yet again that we can fight back and face stronger oppositions. The hunger and desire to win in this team is unparalleled.”

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

However, Bibiano feels the performance still needs to be “fine-tuned.”

“I would like to see us start matches with the same self-belief which we showed towards the end of this game. Had we started the game with much more belief, I think the result could have been different. Nevertheless, I am happy with the way the boys turned it around.”