Bengaluru: Football is well and truly the flavour of the festivities here in India. While the limelight is being cast upon the U-17 sides at the World Cup, there is a small matter of qualification to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for the senior side, as they take on Macau in their fourth group match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Men in Blue are on top of their group consisting Macau, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar with 9 points from three games, and only require a point to guarantee their place in Asia’s quadrennial showpiece event. One individual who is key to Stephen Constantine’s game plan is Atletico de Kolkata midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh, who got chatting on the sidelines of a training session on Monday.
“We’re very positive and are prepared mentally and physically for the game,” Lyngdoh beamed, adding that the favourites tag shouldn’t spark complacency within the Indian camp. “In football you never know. Results can always change.
Three points is a must. We have to keep pressurising them from the start so that we get the goals.” India defeated Macau 2-0 in the corresponding fixture on September 5 with skipper Sunil Chettri bagging a brace. That might give India a psychological edge coming into this fixture, but Lyngdoh urged caution. “They are a good side. We can’t take them lightly. They are very compact, so we have to break them down quickly before they build in strength. The camp has been very lively and positive. The boys are very eager and it’s an opportunity (to qualify) we can’t let go.”
The 31-year-old has fond memories of his time at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where he spent three fruitful seasons at Bengaluru FC. He admitted to a sense of nostalgia upon stepping onto the turf and hoped the fans would play their part in ushering the Blues. “Every time we play here, the fans have never been a disappointment. In the previous home game against Kyrgyzstan, we won because of the adrenaline rush they gave us.”
The top buy at the recent ISL auction also took the time out to praise the India U-17s for handling the weight of expectation. “I feel they’ve got great individual abilities. They played well in the second half of the USA game. They should be more confident and be fearless,” the ex-Shillong Lajong playmaker surmised.
