English
New Delhi: After losing to USA in their opening clash of FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Indian midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam on said the hosts are ready to take on Colombia in the next group-stage fixture on Monday and they won’t disappoint the nation.
“We are all set for the Colombia game and we’ll give our everything. We won’t disappoint you, we won’t disappoint India,” Suresh Singh mentioned during a media interaction on Saturday, following India U-17 National Team’s practice session at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
“We need to rectify our mistakes and move on, winning and losing are part and parcel of the game. We are all set for the next game and we’re rearing to give it a shot,” the player from Manipur said.
Recollecting the atmosphere in the first match, Suresh echoed they were ‘not nervous but excited’ before stepping onto the pitch against USA in the first match.
“Representing the nation in front of a 55,000-strong crowd is something which you can’t explain in words; it’s electrifying. It’s already history and thankfully, we are part of it,” Suresh said.
Meanwhile, the sturdy midfielder felt that there is room for improvement in the offensive areas.
“Our final pass was not up to the mark against the USA. I believe, we can make it better. We have to focus on that,” the midfielder said.
He said Colombia’s high pace can be blunted if the Matos-coached team stay at the right place at the right moment.
“I believe, their speed can be cancelled out if we focus more on our positioning. If we stay well organised, we can contain with them,” the 17-year-old said.
“They are a very physical side. We played them in Mexico and expect a physically taxing game. They’ve to win also against us to stay alive in the World Cup. It won’t be anything less than a tough 90 minutes for us
“A small mistake can cost a lot at the world level and it’s the biggest lesson for us. We have learnt many a thing from our first match. A tournament like this is enormous. At one moment we hit the bar and some ten seconds later, we concede off the same counter. It’s such a huge lesson learnt,” Suresh added. (With IANS inputs)
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