Football News: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri urged his teammates to look ahead and focus on the match against Uzbekistan after the 2-0 defeat against Australia in the opening match of the World Cup Asia 2023.

The team nicknamed the Blue Tigers put in a tough performance to hold the Asian giants to a goalless stalemate in the first half.

However, Australia, finalist in the pre-quarters of the 2022 World Cup, showed their superiority thanks to goals from Craig Irwine (50th minute) and substitute Jordan Bos (73rd minute) to win by two goals. gap.

“There are pros and cons in this match. It is not easy to play against the best team in Asia,” Sunil Chhetri said. the-aiff.com.

“Feelings are mixed at the moment. Once we watch the video, maybe we'll be more confident and improve on the things we can do better.

“We're not used to playing teams like this because we don't play them often, so you never know what to expect.”

Chhetri said he is now focusing on the Group B match against Uzbekistan on Thursday (18/01).

“Uzbekistan are not Australia, but they are a good team. So it will be a big challenge in this match as well,” he added.

Uzbekistan and Syria played out a goalless draw on Saturday evening (01/13).

Commenting on India's defeat against Australia, head coach Igor Stimac said: “I am proud of my boys. They showed that they are a group of honest, hardworking and committed people in everything what we ask of them.”

Article Tag: Sunil Chhetri, India, Uzbekistan