"Keep going like this," Ancelotti told Khalid

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XtraTime Web Desk

India suffered a fiercely competitive defeat against Brazil, one of the best teams in the world and five-time FIFA World Cup champions. But what did India head coach Khalid Jamil and one of the world's finest coaches, Carlo Ancelotti, speak about after the match?

Khalid revealed that Ancelotti told him, “You played very well. Keep going like this. Stay in touch.”

It was certainly a terrific certificate of appreciation. Especially because Ancelotti had said before the match that India did not have a football culture. If the same man praised India after the game, it clearly shows how well the Indian team performed despite the defeat. And when that praise comes from someone of Carlo Ancelotti's stature, its significance becomes even greater.

Although the entire Indian team put up a strong performance, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has come under scrutiny. Khalid, however, stood firmly by his goalkeeper.

“Gurpreet cannot be held solely responsible for this match. He is one of India's best goalkeepers. It is not right to judge him based on the performances of just two matches. Even for the second goal, it was not only Gurpreet's mistake. The defenders also failed to close down quickly enough. Overall, it was a team mistake. Gurpreet will certainly bounce back,” Khalid said.

The Indian coach admitted that there was pressure before the match.

“There is always pressure before playing against a team like Brazil. They are five-time World Cup champions and have players who play for some of the biggest clubs around the world. Their quality and the quality of their coaching are also extremely high. So, playing against such a team is never easy. But everything cannot be built in a single day. It takes time,” he said.

Khalid felt that everything was going according to plan until the first water break. However, one mistake led to the opening goal and then the second, changing the complexion of the match.

“Thapa, Williams and Manvir played very well, but we need to improve further defensively. Everyone made an effort. We have to maintain our hard work and consistency,” Khalid said.

According to Khalid, the players are experienced enough, so he did not have to work excessively hard to build confidence within the team. However, he believes India need to play more matches of this level if they are to continue improving.