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          India's happy tune goes off-pitch against Kuwait as Stimac fumbles his notes

          • Sunaadh Sagar
          Jun 28, 2023, 01:02 AM ET

          For 80 minutes, India's football was the very embodiment of the iconic Kannada song Santhoshakke (Geetha, 1981) which rings out at the Kanteerava stadium on the regular. Igor Stimac's side were at one with the rhythms on the pitch, with each other, and were producing a pretty tune for the watching faithful that turned up on a Tuesday night.

          ...and then they lost their heads.

          Stimac's sending-off (twice in as many games on the touchline) sparked off ugly scenes as a combination of "very bad refereeing" and a "very rough" Kuwaiti side as assistant coach Mahesh Gawli put it, saw the game descend into an ill-tempered contest. It was no surprise then, that a potentially famous victory turned into a 1-1 draw when Anwar Ali sliced the ball into his own net in injury time.

          "It feels like a loss," Sunil Chhetri would go on to say after the game, but ever the captain, leader, legend that he is, refused to blame Anwar: "India conceded the goal, not Anwar Ali."

          If anything, Anwar was one of the stand-out players in the game, with a tremendous performance alongside Sandesh Jhingan in defence, albeit with a couple of errors in possession that were simply a function of the high-risk, high-reward football India employed.

          It was brave from Stimac, who deserves plaudits for getting his setup right. India came into the game very much aware that the rank no. 143 attached to Kuwait's team was a bald-faced lie (due to Kuwait being banned by FIFA multiple times over the last two decades). Ahead of the game, Jeakson Singh had noted that Kuwait were "much better" than any opponent India had faced in recent memory. The West-Asian side confirmed that notion in flashes throughout the game, with Eid Al-Rashidi and Shabaib Al-Khaldi producing touches and passes that even had the partisan crowd gasping in amazement.

          In truth, however, India stifled Kuwait right from kick off. Naorem Mahesh Singh replaced Sahal Abdul Samad in Stimac's first-choice lineup, with Ashique Kuruniyan tasked with a central role and the high press. Sultan Al-Enezi, Kuwait's deep-lying playmaker who dictates the game for Rui Bento's side, was left with nary a half-second on the pitch, Ashique and Mahesh taking turns in man-marking him. Their 38-year-old captain, who was "running around like he's 21" as Gawli described Chhetri, led the intense high-press, ably supported by Anirudh Thapa and Jeakson in midfield.

          This was the football Stimac promised India four years ago when he took over - no more long balls, but rather brave, front-foot attacking football that took the game to their opponents. Kuwait, despite their ranking, are a technically secure side (perhaps more so than India) but were left shackled as India barely gave them time to breathe. The high press left Kuwait rattled, with Bento admitting that his side "did not believe in themselves enough" in the first half. In contrast, Stimac's charges were full of belief, as Aashique started multiple transitions by winning the ball in Kuwait's half, before spreading it wide.

          The Blue Tigers threatened a fair bit from the wings and came close on occasion, but it was left to Chhetri once more to provide the sharp tip at the end of India's spear. Thapa sent in a looping corner from the right wing towards the far side of the box, Chhetri adjusted himself as he tracked the arc of the ball, and sent a first-time volley right into the bottom corner. Goal no. 92 for India, another record as he joined Maldives' Ali Ashfaq as the all-time leading scorer in SAFF Championships (23) and gave India the lead at half-time.

          India had arguably produced their best 45 minutes in Stimac's reign, but the worry was whether this intensity could be sustained. It wasn't, but instead, India displayed another feather in their cap - that of game management. India kept their shape well in the second half as Kuwait attempted to force the issue, with the Jhingan-Ali partnership shutting things down when needed. It looked all set for a perfect victory before Stimac decided to blow it all to smithereens.

          As much as Gawli claimed Stimac wasn't at fault in his post-match press conference, the truth of the matter was that the Croatian got involved in play from the touchline once more, grabbing the ball when a foul happened right in front of him, earning himself a yellow card. He did not aid his cause with his constant arguments with the fourth official thereafter, who then called the referee over to send India's coach off once more. In a game where India were leading 1-0, cruising to victory and the top spot, there was little need for Stimac's antics.

          It served to distract his players from the job on hand, as Kuwait amped up the aggression. Football became secondary as the tackles flew in. Inevitably, there was a fracas after Sahal was shoved to the floor by Hamad Al-Qallaf with Rahim Ali responding in kind and thus earning both players a red card. Even Gawli, usually the picture of calm on the touchline, was left incensed with the refereeing (which carried over into his post-match press conference, with India's former centre-back too angry to focus on any tactical questions put to him).

          To his credit, Gawli did keep his calm when Ali's own goal went in - as the Kuwaiti bench stormed over to India's dug-out to celebrate in their opponent's faces. This wasn't Haadu Santoshakke anymore, the beautiful game was reduced to man-children posturing at each other. All because a 55-year-old did not have it within himself to control his emotions.

          However, it was perhaps those very emotions that led to India's sterling football for much of the game - Stimac's ability to fire up his team is unparalleled, and it might come in handy in the cauldron of the AFC Asian Cup in 2024 when India are up against tough opponents. The hope, however, is that he remembers to listen to the Kanteerava's anthem and sings for happiness, instead of fighting for it.