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Amazing story
Thanks for sharing
Inspirational
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I am lucky to have shared many good memories in my footballing as well as coaching journey. There is one that still gives me goose bumps when I think of it – the SAFF Championship final against Nepal in their very own den.
When the Indian team qualified for the very first time for the second round of Olympic Qualifiers, the federation (AIFF), the government, started believing in me.
They asked me what I wanted to do next. I just asked for more camps and tours. Then in 2019, I got four months with the girls including the travel, SAFF Championship, the four-nation tournament and the exposure trip to Turkey.
When our coaching staff came in, some senior players stepped back. That was a key problem we had to face because all others were youngsters in the team, and no one had experience.
We started the camp, went to Hong Kong, Indonesia, played some more matches and then had a closed camp in Odisha. We played the four-nation tournament where we lost to Nepal.
When I met the federation again, I said I needed more time with the girls. The next tournament was the SAFF Championship in Nepal and we had to face them again.
We went there and defeated all the teams and met Nepal in the final. I can still recollect, the time I entered the field, the ground was full of people, more than 50,000 of them were there at the Sahid Rangashala Stadium. They were of course cheering the home team with a sea of red flags.
The first half, I remember, the score was 1-1 where Dalima Chhibber scored one of the best goals of the tournament. When the team came in at half time, I spoke to them and they got into the game again. We scored two more and after the 3-1 win the crowd went silent.
It was India’s fifth straight title in the tournament, and a great moment for me as a coach. To win the title after losing to Nepal in our own country was special. That is one historical moment in my life I will never forget.