Despite defeat against Bahrain, India head coach Igor Stimac very happy with the fight shown by young players

The Indian national team went down fighting against hosts, Bahrain as they lost 2-1 where only Rahul Bheke could find the back of the net from a brilliant Roshan Singh cross. Head coach Igor Stimac showered praise on the youngster who showed such great resolve on his debut for the Blue Tigers.

The Blue Tigers started the game on the back foot as Bahrain got an early penalty. But Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood tall to deny Mahdi Al-Humaidan from the spot. However, they finally conceded in the 37th minute of the game when Hardan broke the deadlock. India restored parity in the 59th minute as Rahul Bheke headed home from a beautiful curling cross delivered by debutant Naorem Roshan Singh. The youngster was sensational with his deliveries for Bengaluru FC aswell in the recently concluded Indian Super League. The youngster came on replacing Liston Colaco and played as a winger.

But in the end, all the heroics were not enough Mahdi Al-Humaidan scored the decisive goal that handed them the win over Igor Stimac’s men. “I am very happy about young Roshan Singh who confirmed he is a future Indian star — not just in the Indian Super League, but also at the international stage,” said Igor Stimac to AIFF Media Team.

Roshan had a sensational breakthrough year in the Indian Super League as he delivered seven assists in the season (the most by an Indian player). He also scored a sensational free kick goal against Kerala Blasters to help the Blues win 1-0 against their rivals. His consistent performances meant that Stimac had to call him up for the national team and now he is returning him the faith with dividends.

Despite the defeat, the Croatian tactician was happy with how his young players fought against better oppositions and held them till the last few minutes. “It was a good day for all the boys to gain the experience. They all did well and they need to keep competing for their positions in the national team,” added the head coach.

India will now face much higher ranked oppositions in Belarus for the second friendly here in Bahrain. The match is scheduled for Saturday, 26th March and Stimac will hope that his men continue the fighting spirit from their match against Bahrain.