'We are still alive': India coach Igor Stimac vows to create 'belief' against Qatar after Kuwait stalemate

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India coach Igor Stimac believes the Blue Tigers still have a slender chance to qualify for the next round of World Cup qualifiers despite a stalemate against Kuwait on Thursday (June 6).

India squandered a glorious opportunity to take them into the pole position in the race for 3rd round qualification as Kuwait held them at home. The farewell match for India's captain supremo Sunil Chhetri didn't have a joyous climax as the Blue Tigers couldn't get all three points.

The Blue Tigers failed to create enough clear-cut chances despite dominating in the first half. In the second half, Rahim Ali had a great chance but hit his shot straight at the keeper. Coach Stimac made several substitutions, including bringing in Manvir Singh and Brandon Fernandes, but India lacked quality in front of goal and the match ended in a stalemate.

In the post-match press conference, India head coach Igor Stimac admitted that India lacked offensive quality in the match. The India coach also claimed that the Kuwait players managed the game extremely well and knew where to slow the tempo.

"Disappointed. We had more confidence in passing and movement. But we couldn't break down the Kuwait team. We were creating good pressure but lacked conviction. The weather condition also didn't help as they knew where to stop the game. They wasted 17-18 minutes," Stimac said.

India captain Sunil Chhetri bid farewell to international football and although the Croatian is sad for the legend, he says they will have to keep believing about a positive result against Qatar.

"Really sad for Sunil. He didn't go with a win but we don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves because we are still alive. I need to do everything to make us believe and create an environment which can take us towards the challenge of playing against the Asian Champions. It is a small hope but it's still there. We have to give our best shot and try and win the match," Stimac added.

"We need to believe in our team and out abilities. We have a young squad and I expect a lot from this team," Stimac concluded.