Football

Gurpreet promises for another fight against Qatar

Published

3 months ago

June 7, 2024

Ray Sportz News Desk: It was India’s fourth winless game in a row in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification after a 0-0 draw against Kuwait on Thursday evening in Kolkata, a result that diminished their hopes of progressing to the third round for the first time ever.

Head coach Igor Stimac made his dejection known after the match. “We’re obviously disappointed with the end result. It was tough as we expected. They opened the game much better, with much more confidence and competency in passing and moving. It took us some time to gear up to start passing the ball and moving into areas where we could create danger. And I will say that the general passing speed was the biggest struggle we had tonight. It was not good enough to break down Kuwait.

“Even in the situations when we put pressure on them with continuous attacks, there was no quality in the delivery to help them. We could see that Kuwait have lots of individual quality in their team,” said Stimac.

While the match was pretty even in terms of statistics – Kuwait slightly edging possession by 52 to 48, and India registering 15 shots to the visitors’ 13 – Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was the busier of the two goalkeepers, making four huge saves.

“Our best player of the night was Gurpreet, which is not a good sign,” said Stimac. “It’s fantastic for everyone in the team to have such a goalkeeper here. We never had any doubts about what he can do and how much he can help the team, which he did in a fabulous way tonight.”

And it wasn’t to be for Sunil Chhetri, who couldn’t depart the pitch of his last India game with three points. The legendary skipper now turns into another fan among millions as India travel to Doha to take on Qatar in their final Group A match on June 11. Afghanistan’s 0-0 draw with Qatar later on Thursday meant that India remained in the second spot with five points. Afghanistan are also on five, but trail on goal difference, while Kuwait are still bottom with four points. Should India beat Qatar and maintain their higher goal difference than Afghanistan, they will qualify for the next round. A draw will also be enough for the Blue Tigers in case Kuwait and Afghanistan’s clash in Kuwait City also ends all square.

“I feel really sorry for Sunil. He didn’t go with a very important win. But on the other hand, we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves because we’re still alive. So I need to do everything as a coach as I can in the next five days to create an environment of belief. It’s a very different challenge against the Asian champions. It’s a small hope but it’s still there, and we need to believe, go there and give it our best shot to try to win the game,” said Stimac.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu added, “We’ll prepare for it like any other game, but obviously this time we won’t have Sunil bhai with us, which is sad but we, as a nation, need to cope with that and move forward. We need to prepare in the best possible manner because any game is not lost before it’s played. We’ll go to Qatar to get all three points.”

Football

Jordan Murray celebrated teacher’s day with the students of High School Tirildih.

Published

2 days ago

September 5, 2024

Ray Sportz

Ray Sportz Web Desk: In a heartwarming celebration of Teacher’s Day, Jordan Murray, the star forward of Jamshedpur FC, visited the Sports & Cultural Fest, Antaragani, organized by the Rotaract Club of Steel City at High School Tirildih. The event was a vibrant showcase of Jharkhand’s rich culture, and Murray was thoroughly mesmerized by the experience.

The highlight of the day was when Murray danced along with the little kids to the rhythm of a Santhali song, creating an unforgettable moment for everyone present. The event took a special turn when Rakhi Tudu, a student, gifted Murray a handmade card wishing him the best for the upcoming ISL season, which kicks off on September 21st against Mumbai City FC at the Furnace.

Murray also met with the school football team and shared his valuable experience with them. He collaborated with the kids, showcasing his impressive football skills and leaving them in awe. The fans and local community were thrilled to meet Murray, and they eagerly captured several selfies to cherish the moment.

The Antaragani fest was a resounding success, thanks to Murray’s presence, which added a touch of glamour to the event. His interaction with the students and the community was a testament to his dedication to inspiring the next generation of football enthusiasts. As Jamshedpur FC gears up for the new season, Murray’s visit has surely pumped up the excitement among the fans.

East Bengal

Packed gallery is not a concern for Altyn Asyr coach

Published

4 weeks ago

August 13, 2024

Ray Sportz

Shubham Mandal: Carles Cuadrat’s revenge match! Are you thinking, why? Then you have to go back six long years ago. The year was 2018, Bengaluru FC lost both legs of the AFC Cup inter-zonal semi-final against Altyn Asyr. At that time their head coach was Carles Cuadrat. Only the team has changed this time. He is now the head coach of East Bengal. This time also in that AFC Cup, his opponent is Altyn Asyr. Also in 2018, Yazguly Hojageldyyew was the head coach of Altyn Asyr. And he is still in charge of the team.

After setting foot in Calcutta, Altyn Asyr had his first practice in Yuva Bharati on this day. Altyn Asyr head coach said a lot about the East Bengal team while giving an interview to Ray Sportz after the practice. Here is the conversation:

Q: There are no foreigners in the team. Is that a problem for you?

Hojageldyyew: Not having foreigners in the team is not a big deal. It has been in our team for a long time. The current footballers have been the asset of this team for the last few years. So we are not worried about this.

Q: Have you been playing the same team for the last few years?

Hojageldyyew: Most of the footballers in this team have been playing together for several years. So all footballers are well aware of their responsibilities.

Q: Do you have any idea about the East Bengal team?

Hojageldyyew: There are quite a few good foreigners in the East Bengal team. Not only that, they have got some good quality Indian footballers in their team this season. They have won their last two matches. We have already seen the video of that match. Footballers know that the match is going to be tough.

Q: Are you stressed when playing in front of a packed gallery?

Hojageldyyew: Not at all! This is not the first time we will be playing an AFC match in front of a packed gallery for the opposition. So I don’t think there will be any extra pressure on the boys.

Football

Germany outplayed Scotland in the Euro cup opener

Published

3 months ago

June 15, 2024

Ray Sportz

Ray Sportz Web Desk: Scotland’s 2024 European Championships optimism was bludgeoned to a pulp by Germany in their Group A opener with Ryan Porteous seeing red before the interval in a 5-1 defeat.

Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 10th minute with fellow attacker Jamal Musiala adding a second nine minutes later as Steve Clarke’s side were simply outclassed in the Munich Arena.

Defender Porteous was deservedly sent off just before the break for conceding a penalty with a reckless tackle, and Kai Havertz netted.
Substitute Niclas Fullkrug made it 4-0 in the 68th minute with a magnificent drive and then had a goal ruled offside as the 10-men in dark blue continued their struggle.
Germany defender Antonio Rudiger scored into his own net but that was cancelled out by substitute Emre Can to make it 5-1.

The beleaguered Scots face Switzerland in Cologne next week before taking on Hungary in Stuttgart. They have to quickly get this performance and result out of their heads while the Tartan Army will also have to regroup.