Doha, September 11: India shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu believes anything is possible in football after his heroics helped the country hold Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw in a FIFA World Cup Round 2 qualifying match in Doha.
The young Indian side fought hard keep Qatar at bay and denied a goal despite the home side managing more than a dozen shots on target on Tuesday (September 10).
"I feel extremely proud of the team for our performance against Qatar," said Gurpreet, who took over the captain's armband in the absence Sunil Chhetri, who missed the match due to illness.
"The team-effort helped us achieve the result. It will help us immensely in the qualifiers.
"We have played just two matches, and we have played well, that too against two powerful teams. It gives us that added motivation and confidence that in football, anything is possible," he added.
The hero of the night, Gurpreet, who was rock solid under the Indian bar, credited the entire team for stealing an unexpected point from the away match.
"Everyone played their hearts out, and gave everything out on the pitch. That enabled us to come back to the dressing room, satisfied, and with a very crucial point," he said.
MASSIVE SHOUTOUT💥 to all the fans at the stadium🏟 and to the ones that supported us from back at home🙇🏽♂️🙌🏽
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 10, 2019
💙#BackTheBlue💙#QATIND ⚔ #WCQ 🌏🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/fhOT622KNG
The result earned India their first point in the qualifiers as they had suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 loss against Oman in Guwahati five days ago. While Qatar are still leading the group with four points from two matches, India take the fourth spot with one point from two matches.
Gurpreet also thanked the Indian fans, who had turned up in large numbers.
"It was like playing at home away from home. The support was incredible. They spurred us on, cheering us all throughout," he said.
India will next host Bangladesh in their qualifiers on October 15.
(With PTI inputs)