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

LeBron James opens up on new All-Star Game format, says something had to change

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has opened up on new All-Star Game format. James,… Read More

December 20, 2024

Sunil Chhetri reveals how leadership onus helped him in his career

India’s football icon Sunil Chhetri has had a glorious career as he has ticked the… Read More

December 20, 2024

East Bengal FC midfielder Madih Talal ruled out for rest of the season due to knee injury

East Bengal FC midfielder Madih Talal has been ruled out of the rest of the… Read More

December 20, 2024

Christopher Clarey sheds lights on Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray alliance, says Serb has always tapped into smart, high-level tennis players

Renowned Tennis journalist Christopher Clarey has shed light on Novak Djokovic appointing Andy Murray as… Read More

December 20, 2024

Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim has no regrets after dropping Marcus Rashford

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted he has no regrets after dropping Marcus… Read More

December 20, 2024

Sanju Samson reveals how Gautam Gambhir gave him clarity and confidence

India’s wicket-keeper bat Sanju Samson has revealed head coach Gautam Gambhir has played an instrumental… Read More

December 20, 2024