We tried everything but we couldn’t score- Fajr Ibrahim

The Syrians failed to qualify for the final of the tournament following the draw.

Syrian coach Fajr Ibrahim appeared in the post-match press conference following the 1-1 draw against India at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad. 18-year-old Narender Gahlot got his first goal for his country when he rose high to head Anirudh Thapa's cross into goal.

Syria got back into the game through captain Firas Al-Khatib, who made no mistake in converting from the penalty spot.

Despite having much of the early momentum, Syria failed to get on the scoreboard and Ibrahim addressed this issue at the very beginning. “We failed to score. Dominating the game, that’s not enough. You have to score. We tried everything, but we couldn’t get on the scoresheet when we were on top.”

The tactician took charge of the national team in January this year, following the sacking of German coach Bernd Stange. This is his fourth stint in-charge of the national team and looking back at the tournament, he stated that he was satisfied with the group.

“The team is new, most of the players (are) playing their very first games with the national side. I think we have seen some good signs for the future, which is important for the national team.”

The Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 wasn’t Ibrahim's first visit to India. He was also the manager of the team that played the Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009. When asked to compare this current Indian squad to those of the past, he praised The Blue Tigers’ performance on the night.

“I have not seen the past two games, but they made it hard today, they played well. They are playing with a different mentality and that is good to see. Of course, big changes will take time and they need to be patient. That is very important and they need to invest more on grassroots. I think, India now has a good (domestic) league (referring to the Indian Super League). The league provides good experience for the national players.”

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The International Cup, which is in its second year, left a good impression on the Syrian coach who thought it was a good idea for national teams to get game-time and to try out different things. “It’s different from the tournaments in the past.”

The match in Ahmedabad also saw a lot of Syrian spectators who came in numbers to support their national side. Ibrahim thanked them for their support. “It’s great to see our fans here, I thank them a lot for coming tonight,” he concluded.