Here's the journey of Indian football team under Igor Stimac
What's the story
The Indian football team defeated Lebanon 2-0 in the final of the 2023 Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar.
This was their second Intercontinental Cup title as they finished the tournament without conceding a single goal.
Head coach Igor Stimac claimed that the second half was the best that India played during his stint.
The Croatian tactician held office since May 2019.
Here's more
Record
A look at Stimac's record with the Indian team
Stimac's first assignment after joining in 2019 was the King's Cup in Thailand where India lost to Curacao but defeated Thailand to clinch the bronze medal.
The Blue Tigers qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in consecutive editions.
Overall, Stimac has managed India in 36 matches, winning 14 times along with 11 draws and suffering as many defeats (Win%: 38.9).
King's Cup
A decent start with the King's Cup bronze medal
When Stimac took charge of the Indian team, they were heartbroken to miss out on the AFC Asian Cup knockout after a rampaging 4-1 win over Thailand.
However, they lost the next two to bow out of the competition.
Stimac channelized that energy into the King's Cup where they lost to Curacao but defeated hosts Thailand to clinch the bronze medal.
Intercontinental Cup
A disappointing 2019 Intercontinental Cup
Buoyed by the confidence of the King's Cup, India hosted Tajikistan, North Korea, and Syria for the 2019 Intercontinental Cup.
India had won the previous edition under Stephen Constantine and were confident heading into this tournament.
However, they fell flat with defeats to Tajikistan and North Korea. They only managed a 1-1 draw against Syria as they finished last in the group stage.
World Cup qualifiers
The challenging 2022 World Cup qualifiers
India turned up for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September 2019.
They started the campaign with a heartbreaking defeat against Oman but followed it up with a historic 0-0 draw against reigning Asian Champions, Qatar at their den.
However, India went winless in their next three matches.
After the COVID-19 break, India completed their fixture and finished third in the group.
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Highest finish in World Cup qualifiers since 2002
India did not have the best qualifiers as they drew matches against lower-ranked teams like Afghanistan and Bangladesh. But they managed to finish behind Qatar and Oman, which was their best finish since the 2002 qualifiers. They also qualified for the Asian Cup qualifiers.
UAE
India's heaviest defeat since 2010
India returned to action after their COVID-enforced break with a 1-1 draw against Oman. Manvir Singh scored the goal for the Blue Tigers. '
Later they faced UAE, who were 30 ranks above them. India did give a tough fight against them in the previous Asian Cup, so no one expected a 6-0 thrashing from them.
It was India's heaviest defeat since 2010.
SAFF Championship
India's eighth SAFF Championship
India won their eighth SAFF Championship by beating Nepal in the finals in 2021.
The Blue Tigers topped the group stage with eight points, two wins and as many draws.
India's two group-stage wins came against Nepal and Maldives, while they could only manage draws against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
India thrashed Nepal 3-0 in the final to lift the SAFF Championship honor.
Asian Qualifiers
India topped the 2023 AFC Asian Qualifiers
India were drawn alongside Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The matches were played at the Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata as the Blue Tigers tormented the qualifiers with three consecutive wins.
India started with a 2-0 win over Cambodia, followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win over Afghanistan. They finished the qualifiers with a 4-0 thumping of Hong Kong.
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India finished second in the 2022 Hung Thinh tournament
Stimac's men then featured in the Hung Thinh tournament in Vietnam where they played against Singapore and hosts, Vietnam. India started with a decent 1-1 win against Singapore followed by a 3-0 defeat against Vietnam. India finished ahead of Singapore on goal difference.
Tri-Nation series
India won their second Tri-Nation series
Before the Intercontinental Cup, the Indian team featured in the Tri-Nation Series. This was the second edition of the tournament.
India won the first edition in 2017 when they defeated St. Kitts & Nevis in the finals.
This time India defeated Myanmar 1-0 followed by a 2-0 win over Kyrgyzstan.
Anirudh Thapa, Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan scored one goal each.