- Jamil acknowledged that India gained valuable experience from facing five-time world champions Brazil.
- The India coach admitted that soft goals, individual errors and missed chances hurt his team against Brazil.
- India will now turn their attention to Uruguay, with Jamil stressing the importance of playing more high-level matches.
India head coach Khalid Jamil believes the 4-0 defeat against Brazil can still provide valuable lessons to his side ahead of their next international assignment against Uruguay.
Despite the heavy scoreline in the historic friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium, Jamil felt his players gained important experience against one of the strongest teams in world football.
India struggled to contain Brazil after the visitors eventually broke the deadlock, with Estevao, Pedro and Samuel Lino finding the net in a convincing victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
However, Jamil insisted the result should not overshadow the lessons India can take from the contest.
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‘We Need To Believe In Ourselves’
Reflecting on the match, Jamil admitted that the final result was disappointing but pointed towards India's approach and the need to make better use of opportunities.
“It is a good experience for everyone, but the result was not up to the mark. The biggest lesson that we have learnt is that we have to believe in ourselves, and we need to work as per the plan and focus,” Jamil said.
The Indian coach also highlighted how costly mistakes can become against a team of Brazil’s quality. He felt his players needed to be more clinical when opportunities came their way.
“Even one mistake can cost us very badly. We could’ve prepared well and should have capitalised on our chances,” he added.
For India, the challenge now is to ensure the experience gained from facing Brazil translates into a stronger performance in the next friendly.
Jamil Praises Ancelotti
Jamil also spoke highly of Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has won major trophies across Europe's biggest clubs and was on the touchline for Brazil's historic first senior men's international meeting with India.
“He is a very good gentleman. He is very simple, humble and very nice. We have a lot to learn technically. His relationship with his players is very good, and there are many things to learn from him,” Jamil said.
The Indian coach also revealed that Ancelotti spoke to him after the final whistle and appreciated his team's performance.
“He appreciated our performance and told me that we played well after the game. He asked us to keep it up, and he’ll stay in touch,” Jamil revealed.
Jamil Defends Gurpreet After Brazil Loss
Jamil also came out in support of his captain and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was replaced at half-time after Brazil scored twice during the opening period.
The experienced goalkeeper's performance had come under scrutiny, but Jamil insisted that the goals were the result of collective defensive mistakes rather than one individual.
“We cannot blame Gurpreet, and we cannot judge him on two matches. It was everybody’s mistake. He is one of the best goalkeepers that India has, and he will be back in the next game,” the head coach said.
Jamil's backing could prove significant as India prepare for another demanding international test.
‘They Are Also A Bunch Of Talented Players’
Playing Brazil for the first time at senior men's international level inevitably brought pressure for the Indian players. Jamil acknowledged that factor but said he tried to ensure his squad did not become overawed by the occasion.
“Of course, there was a lot of pressure because we were playing them for the first time, and they are the World Champions. I told my players that they are also a bunch of talented players,” he said.
India will now turn their attention towards Uruguay, with Jamil hoping his side can take the positives from the Brazil experience, cut down on costly errors and be more clinical when chances arrive.