Faith in Udanta, Sahal pays off for Stimac as India wins against Mongolia

India defeated Mongolia 2-0 in their Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 opener on Friday at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Sahal Abdul Samad and Lallianzuala Chhangte scored the goals, thereby giving the Blue Tigers the perfect start to their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

It was one of the quickest starts for India in terms of scoring a goal, the second-quickest under Igor Stimac to be precise, as midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad gifted India the lead by completing a great move. It was Anwar Ali who started it with an overhead ball to Anirudh Thapa, who was occupying the right flank. The Chennaiyin FC player then played the ball across the face of the goal, just behind an oncoming Sunil Chhetri, but Sahal was right there to drive the ball into the back of the net.

After getting the taste of scoring so early on in the game, Igor Stimac's men looked to be in the mood. After the diminutive, yet combative, Apuia missed a goal by mere inches, his Mumbai City FC teammate doubled India's lead with a shot from point-blank range.

Thapa was yet again in the thick of things as he delivered a magnificent ball which found the towering Sandesh Jhingan. The centre-back made the best possible connection he could have and thumped the ball towards goal. However, the attempt was blocked a defender when a lurking Chhangte side-footed the loose ball inside the net.

India seemed to be in great rhythm within the first 20 minutes of the game. Unfortunately, that was that for the Blue Tigers. Perhaps the two-goal cushion made the players think that going all-out against a hapless Mongolia wasn't the way to go, especially when matches against Vanuatu and Lebanon loom large on the horizon.

Nevertheless, the Mongolians never really threatened Amrinder Singh's goal as they were able to get just two shots out, with one being on target.

Chhangte was adjudged 'Player of the Match'. "Happy with the way we started, but got a bit sloppy in the second half. We fought till the 90th minute. We could have done better but we'll do so in the next game. We've been working hard as a team and as individuals. Next game is against a tough opponent too but today's win will give us motivation," the winger said post-match.

Faith in Sahal, Udanta paid off

As of July 2021, winger Udanta Singh was amongst the players to have played the most minutes under Igor Stimac, as per a 90min.com article. While his club career might have plateaued long time back, he continues to be in the good books of the Croatian.

Another similar case study can be Sahal, who was handed his India debut by Stimac back in 2019. While his performances with Kerala Blasters have been inconsistent off late, the Indian national team head coach had earlier said that form might not be the only barometers for him when it comes to choosing players for the camp.

"I'm not selecting players only based on the actual form in their respective clubs. Because I do know what certain players can do for us, and also I cannot speak about what their coaches were doing with them in their clubs, because some of their poor performances might be their fault. So Sahal and Udanta have enough capability to hurt any team in Asia. I trust them and I can bring them back to their best," Stimac had said in a press conference ahead of the competition.

Igor's words rang true on Friday evening as both Udanta and Sahal looked their brightest. While Sahal scored the opener in brilliant fashion, Udanta seemed lively on the right flank, despite collecting a few offside calls.

India next face Vanuatu on June 12 at 7:30pm IST. Vanuatu faced a 1-3 defeat at the hands of Lebanon earlier today.