Football

Indian team assistant coach Mahesh Gawli lauds young sensation Anwar Ali

Anwar Ali has been one of the standout players for India this year. He has delivered great performances at the back while partnering with Sandesh Jhingan and has shown that even without him, he has the maturity to keep opponent attackers at bay.

Indian team assistant coach Mahesh Gawli feels the youngster will be a ‘top class defender’ for India in the upcoming years. The young centre-back paired up with Mehtab Singh in the SAFF Championships 2023 semifinals against Lebanon. In Jhingan’s absence, the duo showed character in nullifying the Lebanese attackers and dragging the game to penalties, where Gurpreet Singh Sandhu did the rest.

He made a mistake against Kuwait right at the end of the match as he conceded an own goal and India had to share the spoils with Kuwait in a match that they were winning. But without paying much attention to the matter, Anwar Ali has moved on and delivered a top performance against Lebanon in the semifinals.

“Anwar Ali has a brilliant talent in him and he is the future star of the national team. He is very sensible, intelligent and good with both feet. He is agile and his confidence level is very high. He will be a top class defender in the future,” Mahesh Gawli stated at the press conference ahead of the final.

The 22-year-old also showed great composure as he stepped up to take the second penalty kick for India in th tiebreaker and he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with aplomb. Eventually, India converted all of their spot-kicks as Gurpreet also made the decisive save.

“Gurpreet penalty saves were very nice (in the tie breaker). That gave us confidence and for the other players who took the penalties (later on). I think Gurpreet was very good in goal,” Gawli added.

The first quarter of the match was dominated by Lebanon as they created some chances but India held their nerves and gradually grew into the game. Gawli credited his players for seeing through that passage of play.

“They had a plan. In the first 15 minutes, you could see they were very fast, very quick. They were going to the wings and they had a good plan. Those 15 minutes, we (were) a little hot-headed. But our boys controlled the game [after that], we came up and we slowly got our confidence back.” the Indian team assistant coach concluded.

The Blue Tigers will face Kuwait in the SAFF Championships finals. India will be aiming to extend their record tally to nine titles.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024