Kathmandu: India U-18 head coach Floyd Pinto has admitted that his team needs to step up after playing out a goalless draw in their tournament opener against Bangladesh in the SAFF U-18 Championship. India is slated to take on Sri Lanka in their last group league match and need a draw to qualify for the semi-finals.
“Looking back at our last match, we are not happy the manner we kept the ball. We have been working a lot on keeping the ball and constructing attacks. We need to show confidence against oppositions who defend deeper, and need to have the confidence to play the ball much better,” Floyd Pinto maintained a day prior to the Sri Lanka match.
“I am sure the boys will improve against Sri Lanka. They are capable of playing much better football. We need to create chances and get the goals. The goals are crucial in our quest to qualify for the semis. We aim to score as many as possible, and proceed to the semis as group winners,” Floyd Pinto explained.
Sri Lanka had lost their opener against Bangladesh 0-3.
The good news, however, stays that goalkeeper Prabshukhan Singh Gill who had to be stretchered early in the first-half against Bangladesh and had to hospitalize courtesy a “nasty head injury,” is stable. “All the reports are normal. But as it’s a head injury, we need to keep him under our observation for the next 48 hours. We look forward to him playing a part in the latter stages of the championship,” the coach informed. IANS
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