2022 World Cup Qualifiers: How has India performed under head coach Igor Stimac?

BetOdds WC Qualification Asia India India v Afghanistan India v Qatar Afghanistan Bangladesh v India Bangladesh Qatar

India have won only twice in 15 matches under Igor Stimac's tutelage...

India's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign ended with a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan on Tuesday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

By finishing third in Group E, Igor Stimac's side directly progressed to the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying third round.

Stimac took charge of the Indian team back in May 2019 on a two-year deal that was supposed to expire last month. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has now extended his stay until September 2021.

The highlight of the Stimac era was the Blue Tigers' draw against reigning Asian champions Qatar in 2019. A gritty Indian side without their star player Sunil Chhetri had managed to hold the mighty Qataris to a goalless draw in their second World Cup qualifying game in Doha. It was a spirited performance by the Blue Tigers and a lot of credit must go to their coach.

In his stint so far, the former Croatian international handed debuts to as many as 20 Indian footballers. FC Goa's midfielder Glan Martins became the 20th player to make his international debut under Stimac on June 3 against Qatar.

Under Stimac's tutelage, India have won only two matches. Their first win came against Thailand on June 8, 2019, in the King's Cup in Buriram where Anirudh Thapa's strike had made the difference.

The biggest challenge that the Croatian faced as India's coach was the 16 months gap where the Indian national team did not play a single game due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After a busy 2019, where the Blue Tigers played 10 matches under Stimac's tutelage, not a single international match was played in 2020.

Thus after playing their last competitive game in November 2019, it was only in March 2021, that Stimac got to reassemble the squad. India played two friendly matches against Oman and UAE in March 2021.

2021-06-16 10:00:07

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