'We paid the price for some mistakes', says Constantine after India's 4-0 defeat to Iran

AFTER A SOBERING 4-0 defeat to Iran at Tehran's Azadi Stadium, Indian national team coach Stephen Constantine admitted that playing a team like Iran wasn't a challenge that the Blue Tigers were able to live up to... yet.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Constantine was up-front about the shortcomings of his team and the circumstances that went against them,

“[Iran] controlled the game. It was a very difficult game for us even before it kicked-off. In the first half, we conceded from a penalty and had two players coming out for injury. It made it all the more difficult for us."

Constantine pointed out the youth and relative inexperience in the team; and hoped that an exposure like this would go a long way helping shape these youngsters into mature footballers,

“We are a very young side. [Udanta Singh] made his International debut today and he will never forget the fact that he played his first International match at the Azadi Stadium against Iran... we tried to contain Iran and paid the price for some mistakes. We were short in some areas and paid the price for that. Iran are one of the best teams in Asia and playing at the Azadi Stadium has its own challenges.”

That Constantine is on the right path was confirmed by Carlos Queiroz, the head coach of Iran. After the match he said,

“I was very much surprised by Team India’s display. There has been a vast improvement in their performance over the last few months.”

It's a long road that the Indian national team has to travel to become competitive in Asia, and one would hope that the match against Iran, despite the mistakes and the disheartening scoreline, was a step in the right direction.