Sunil Chhetri issues an apology after India's draw against Bangladesh
The Indian men's football team missed the plot in a World Cup qualifier in Kolkata on Tuesday night. Sunil Chhetri's team drew 1-1 against Bangladesh at the Salt Lake Stadium. This was India's second successive draw in Group E. They had earlier lost against Oman 2-1. Chhetri issued an apology after India's awful show. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
104th-ranked India managed to draw 1-1 against 187th-ranked Bangladesh at a packed stadium. Indian defender Adil Khan cancelled out Saad Uddin's opener in the 88th minute. A defeat at home would have severely dented the Blue Tigers' hopes of advancing in the next round. India wasted several chances and were toothless for most parts of the game. They were on the verge of defeat.
We couldn't deliver a performance to match the atmosphere: Chhetri
Chhetri took to social media site Twitter to issue an apology. "We couldn't deliver a performance to match the atmosphere at the Salt Lake last night, and the dressing room is very disappointed about it. We couldn't capitalise on the chances we got,but this is a process on the pitch and in the stands. You turned up, we'll keep attempting to," Chhetri tweeted.
Big blow for India after a horror show in Kolkata
After a defeat against Oman at home, India managed to hold Asian champions Qatar to a goal-less draw in their previous match. The Indian team has two points from three matches, while Bangladesh stay at the bottom with one point from three games. India needed to win this match to keep their slim chances on. However, the result puts their campaign in disarray.
'Our scoring incapability was the reason why we didn't win'
"Our scoring incapability was the reason why we didn't win. We conceded very silly goal. We can't expect to win the game if you concede such a goal. Their goalkeeper was my man-of-the-match," India coach Igor Stimac told reporters after the match. "We deserved to win this game. We pushed until the end and created enough chances. But our scoring was not good enough."
What India need to do next?
India need to better themselves across the pitch in the remaining games. They have to beat Bangladesh in the reverse fixture and also produce a result against Qatar at home. Chhetri's side cannot afford to lose any of the upcoming three games.
