doha English news | doha, Latest News & Live Updates in English | English News (Latest English News) at Lokmattimes.com

Indian national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who had captained the Blue Tigers against Qatar in the first-leg of the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers has recollected the mood, sentiment, and the belief which helped India to hold Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw."Being in Qatar brings out a different feeling. It was here in 2011 that I first came over for the AFC Asian Cup. I was 18 then. Then I was here again in 2011 some months later when I toured with the Indian U-23 team for the Olympic Qualifiers. On both occasions I was on the bench -- waiting, and watching for my chance, and imagining a lot. The chance came calling some 8 years later," the official website of All India Football Federation (AIFF) quoted Sandhu as saying."In Guwahati in 2019, after the 2-1 loss against Oman in our first match of the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, there was pin-drop silence in the dressing room after the final whistle. Everyone was dumbstruck, panting heavily, sipping water. None uttered a word. There was disbelief that we lost after leading 1-0 for 80 minutes. But amidst all that disbelief, there was belief to better it," he added.The 29-year-old Sandhu had put on a memorable display against Qatar in the first-leg and he went on to make 11 saves in the match to help Blue Tigers walk away with a 0-0 draw in September 2019."We flew the next day and when we got to Doha, everything was perfect. The environment, the food, the hotel, the training pitch -- all were so ideal. We used to discuss amongst ourselves -- look at the pitch, look at the stadium. It doesn't get better than this," said Sandhu."The plan on match day was to make life difficult for Qatar who are such a talented team. They had won the AFC Asian Cup earlier that year, and were buzzing after playing in the Copa America. We had to stay compact against them, and take our chances whenever we smelt a counter. And with that, we had to fight with everything. Everyone was desperate to contribute -- everyone was trying their best," he added.Further talking about the match, Gurpreet said: "As a goalkeeper, it's always so assuring to get the first touch of the ball without committing any mistake. That sets the tone for me, and I guess for all goalkeepers. Hence, I always look forward to getting the feel of the ball early."I remember they had a corner and someone at the first post in an attempt to head it out flicked the ball. I lost my cool, shouted at him. But soon realised that he tried his best to jump for that extra inch. The clock started ticking, and we started to grow in confidence. The first half ended goallessly. We could gauge the frustrations around as the predictions that we would be whitewashed weren't coming true. It allowed us to breathe a bit more. We realised we were heading in the right direction. 'Take some blows guys, we can do it,' was the sentiment. The pressure was huge, but the belief was more," he added.India's senior football team will next be seen in action in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Qualifiers, slated to be played from June 3 onwards.India is scheduled to play Asian Champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15 with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

DohaFOLLOW

Doha, Latest News

A dominant Qatar beat 10-man India 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 preliminary joint round 2 qualification at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. Qatar led 1-0 at half-time, Abdel Aziz Hatim making the difference ...

The Pakistan federal government has withdrawn its appeal from the apex court challenging the permission by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif to fly abroad for medical treatment. ...

India senior football team coach Igor Stimac on Wednesday stated that India's goalless draw against Qatar in the first-leg of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers came as a "big surprise" to the footballing fraternity. ...

A day prior to India's FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers, also the preliminary qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the Blue Tigers, all in an effort to make up for lost time, pressed hard on the lush green. The last time India played Asia ...

Sandesh Jhingan's return to the World Cup qualifiers is more than an assurance for everyone. The leader in Sandesh had missed the last three matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers owing to an unfortunate injury. ...

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are making efforts toward strengthening their relations after a three-year-long row, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lolwah Khater said in an interview with Sputnik. ...

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the security situation in Afghanistan remains "very difficult and challenging." reiterating that as the US and coalition forces are leaving, at some stage, Afghans should take full responsibility ...

Indian national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who had captained the Blue Tigers against Qatar in the first-leg of the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers has recollected the mood, sentiment, and the belief which helped India to hold Asian champio ...