Bhubaneswar: After registering a 4-0 win over Sri Lanka, Indian boys are going to take on Nepal to carry the momentum forward in the U-20 SAFF championship at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday evening.
Head coach Venkatesh Shanmugam said the victory against Sri Lanka “provides the team with much-needed confidence. But it’s just the start.
“Winning matches is the most important part. Winning by a good margin gives the players the belief that they can break down rival defenses.
“I hope we can carry the same mentality into the next game as well,
“It’s just a first win. It was a good performance against Sri Lanka. But we now need to focus on the next two matches against Nepal, and the Maldives,” he quipped. “This result of course will give a lot of confidence to the boys, and they can come to the next game with a strong mindset.”
Nepal has had a couple of good performances so far in the SAFF U-20 Championship, defeating the Maldives 4-0 and Sri Lanka 3-0 in their first two matches.
Venkatesh feels it will be a much closer fight between India and Nepal in the upcoming game.
“The next game is very crucial for us, and the boys know that. It is a tough game, and Nepal has shown that they are a very good side. Both the teams are quite close. It’s going to be a tough game again, but we need to play our game and get the job done,” he said.
