Indian men's football team head coach Igor Stimac expressed relief after the Blue Tigers earned their first victory in the ongoing SAFF Championship in Male on Sunday.
A late strike by Chhetri handed India a 1-0 win over Nepal in the SAFF Championship Group Stage. With this win, India is now in the third spot on the Group table with five points, just one behind Maldives and Nepal, both of whom have acquired six points each.
"I am very happy with the three points, which is keeping us until the very end with a great possibility of finishing in the finals. I am very happy and grateful for how our boys responded today, in nearly everything," said the head coach as reported by goal.com.
"I say nearly because scoring is an area where we need to improve. From chances like that we need to score. Otherwise, you have to suffer until the very end. But we need to be patient," he added.
The Croatian heaped praise on the Indian skipper after the latter's lone strike in the match handed the team three points in the tournament.
"He could have made the difference earlier (laughs). He kept us all nervous till the end. We are all very happy for him and for the record. All the team are working so that he can score more goals," said Stimac.
The Blue Tigers will play their final group stage game against hosts Maldives on Wednesday, at the same venue.
( With inputs from ANI )
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