By IANS
New Delhi : India coach Bob Houghton lauded his boys for the stunning 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan here Sunday night that takes them to their maiden finals of the Nehru Cup international football tournament.
“I am happy with the way my boys played. It was another good performance by the players after the 6-0 win over Cambodia in the opening match,” said Houghton in the post-match press conference.
India needed only a draw to qualify for the finals slated for Wednesday, where they will face Syria.
They, however, were in full power with goals from Bhaichung Bhutia (38th), Sunil Chettri (60th) and Abhishek Yadav in the injury time.
India’s best finish in the Nehru Cup history so far was a semi-final berth in its last edition in 1997 in Kochi under the guidance of Syed Nayeemuddin.
“Both the defence and midfield played well and I am also happy by the fact the Abhishek, who is playing in an international tournament after a long time, also played well,” said the national coach.
The result also brought another piece of good news for the players as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced a reward of Rs.750,000 for the national team.
Houghton, however, added that the Indian players should not miss close chances that they did during the match.
“When we play teams like Syria, it is expected that we are playing a strong team. So we should not miss the chances like the one which hit the cross bar,” he said.