Worried about how India conceded against St Kitts and Nevis: Stephen Constantine

Mumbai: Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine was perturbed with the way his boys failed to keep a clean sheet against St Kitts and Nevis in the Tri-Nation Cup on Monday.

Jackinchand Singh put the hosts ahead as Constantine’s men set firm foot into the game, but a second half volley from Amory Guavne shared the spoils for the night.

"Someone is going to score, not you always. We won one and drew one. I am worried about how we conceded the goal, not that we conceded but how we conceded," said Constantine, whose side's eight-match winning streak ended last night.

The Englishman also rued over his side’s poor finishing abilities, as the Blue Tigers were presented with two promising chances that could have put the game to bed.

“I don’t think we started as brightly as we can or should do but then I have to rear myself in and say when was the last time any of them played a 90-minute game? That’s why I desperately needed these two games,” said Constantine. “There was no celebration going around near the touchline after lifting the trophy or dancing around. It was a tri-nation tournament. Ok, we won it, great. But let’s move on.”

The tournament also saw youngsters Nikhil Poojary, Anirudh Thapa and few others don the blue jersey for the first time.

"If we are talking about young players (in general), these are the kind of games, we look to put them in, to give them the experience. Both of these boys (Anirudh Thapa and Nikhil Poojary) are with me in the U-23, so they know what to expect in terms of training, philosophy, which is again I go back to," Constantine asserted.

When questioned about Robin Singh place out of the starting XI against the Sugar Boyz, the English tactician was quick to reveal his game plan.

"We need to do more to keep the ball, and I thought Robin (Singh) did not do enough in the first half (in the game against Mauritius), and Balwant (Singh) had his opportunities, and he made a difference in the second half, besides getting the goal, he shut them (Mauritius) down,” he said.

However, Constantine also criticised Robin’s fellow striker Balwant for his performance against the newcomers.

“He (Balwant) did not do enough of what he did in the last game, so Robin got his chance (in the second half)," Constantine signed off.

St Kitts and Nevis coach Jacques Passy, on the on the other hand, seemed to be satisfied with the result.

“To come to India and go back with a draw is an awesome result. I am very happy with the performance in the last third of the game. (I am) unhappy about what we did from the 30th minute to the 60th minute of the game. Overall, I am reasonably happy.” he said.

While a win against the Indians could have seen the Islanders being crowned as champions, the Mexican was pleased with what the tournament offered to his young team.

“The average age of my team is 22.8 years. With a team so young, you have to grow with games. These players are not mature enough.

“In the first part of the game, all we tried to do was to cut India’s game to gain confidence so that eventually we could get to a point where we could get back into the game. But the pressure was too much, too much for them. They lack experience. However, in the second half, tactically, I guess we were excellent. The pressure was high. The first half, well, it wasn’t about tactics, it was about experience,” Passy signed off.