'We can't wait to rectify it': Sunil Chhetri on mistakes made during Bangladesh match

Kolkata: Talismanic India striker Sunil Chhetri on Sunday said that his side cannot wait to make amends of the mistakes they had committed in the goal-less draw against Bangladesh in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round contest in March.

India were held to a 0-0 draw by lower-ranked Bangladesh in their opening Group C match of the Asian Cup qualifying third round match on March 25 in Shillong, which left head coach Manolo Marquez fuming.

India are up against Hong Kong in their second match – an away game – on June 10 in Kowloon. Chhetri said the match against Hong Kong will be a chance for the team to redeem itself.

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“The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down. After I saw the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home. We should have done so many things better,” Chhetri said.

“Ending up with just a point, I think we players have no one else but ourselves to blame. We didn’t turn up the way we should have. We’ve talked about it, we’ve seen the videos, and we can’t wait to rectify it,” the 40-year-old said in a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The Indian team is currently training here and will depart for Pathum Thani on May 28 for an away friendly international match against Thailand on June 4.

Angry and disappointed at the result against Bangladesh, Marquez had made it clear that his team needs a lot of improvement if they are to qualify for the continental showpiece.

“We need to improve a lot because I felt that the team was going forward in every FIFA window except the last,” Marquez said, alluding to the match against Bangladesh.

“It’s true that for the game against Bangladesh, we lost very important starting players. But it’s not an excuse for our poor performance in that game,” he said.

“We need to be aware that we have a difficult game in Hong Kong. We have to be competitive and try to win and get the three points.” India are placed in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third round along with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and only the top team after six home and away matches qualifies for the continental showpiece.

The national camp here began on May 19 and Chhetri, who had come out of international retirement to help India qualify for 2027 Asian Cup, said the head coach has got a bit of time to formulate a plan.

“We players have to make sure that we are in sync as to what the plan is, and go and try and execute it to the best of our ability. But more importantly, the mistake we made against Bangladesh was that we didn’t turn up. And all the preparation, the technical aspect put aside, you have to go and show up.

“We saw some clips of Hong Kong. We will watch more of them. But I think, right now in the stage that we are, we are thinking more about ourselves and slowly we’ll progress into what the opponent is and how they play,” Chhetri said.

India are aiming to qualify for the Asian Cup for the third time in a row and Chhetri said it’s a “bare minimum requirement” for the country to feature in the continental showpiece.

“We should qualify for every Asian Cup, and it’s mandatory. But I don’t want to put pressure on the boys and the team. Let’s take one game at a time.” “Hong Kong, of course, is going to be very crucial. But yes, for India, it’s a bare minimum to qualify for the Asian Cup, so that we can test ourselves with the best in Asia and keep proving that we are improving,” said Chhetri, who is the only Indian player to have played in three editions of the Asian Cup – 2011, 2019 and 2023.