We never lose; we win or we learn-India U-16 Head Coach Nicolai Adam

The German was philosophical after his team’s exit from the AFC U-16 Championship…

India needed a win in their final group match against heavyweights Iran to stand a chance of progressing in the AFC U-16 Championship. In the event they were comfortably beaten 0-3 after going down to 10 men. The hosts thus exited the tournament with just one point in three games. Speaking after the game India manager Nicolai Adam was in philosophical mood as he reflected on his side’s performance in the competition. “Overall it was a great experience for the boys. We have to learn from these mistakes,” he said. Adam asserted that his side had plenty of character and that they would bounce back from this disappointment. “We have the mentality to never give up in this team” “Atmosphere in the changing room is not great but I said to the team we have to be professional and keep our heads high. We have to look to the next tournament (BRICS Cup U-17).” The tactician also bemoaned the absence of key players due to a combination of regulations and injury that hampered his ability to impact the game from the bench. “We played here without five. Four players I cannot use because of AFC rule and one because of injury. I don’t have too many choices on the bench. The plan was, the longer this match goes 0-0 the better it is and then I had an option to bring in fresh legs for the second half.” In contrast the Iran Head Coach Abbas Chamanian said it was very important his side to win the game in order to top the group and have an easier game in the quarterfinal and he was happy as the team produced their most complete performance yet. “We analysed India before the game and they are a good team with a good Head Coach and look good for the future. But today our players on the left and right controlled the game. We got in good positions and were able to make goalscoring chances.”