Kolkata: Khalid Jamil didn’t look for shelter in the weather, the interruption or the familiar refuge of a concentration lapse. After India were dismantled 6-1 by Uruguay in Kolkata, taking the total conceded goals to 11 in three matches, their head coach took responsibility for the result. “I fully blame myself. We should not give any excuse. I am not blaming anyone, but I made many mistakes. We have to rectify those mistakes,” Jamil said.
It was a deflating end to a night that began with India looking capable of making Uruguay work for their victory. Anirudh Thapa’s 22nd-minute equaliser, cancelling out Darwin Núñez’s early penalty, briefly suggested India might have found a way into the contest. Instead, after the rain and lightning forced the game to stop for 34 minutes, the match became an exercise in damage limitation that India never quite managed.
Inside three days, India had conceded 10 goals to two of South America’s most accomplished sides. Jamil’s response was not to question the process but get more exposure. “Yes, it is very bad. I want to play more matches at this level. But I don’t want to blame anyone. It is what I said–it is my mistake. I can’t blame anyone.”
The temptation after such a defeat is to find a single moment that changed the momentum. The weather interruption, when the game was locked at 1-1, offered one. India’s defensive implosion was another. “Yes, it was a good feeling, scoring that goal,” said Jamil. “But we needed to fight to keep that goal.”
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It was clear India couldn’t match Uruguay’s pace, a problem they had faced against Brazil as well. And once Uruguay started imposing themselves, India’s organisation began to crumble. “I have to think about the two matches, who did what. There are many things, but we have to solve the problems immediately,” he said.
Forlan reflects on win over India
Diego Forlan, beginning a new chapter as Uruguay’s coach, admitted they weren’t flawless at the start. India had been able to press them because Uruguay’s passing and transitions were initially too slow. “We knew that they could press. They have really good players. At the beginning, our transition and passing were a little bit slow, so India took advantage of that. Then we tried to fix it,” he said.
That adjustment proved decisive as Uruguay gradually turned India’s pressure into an invitation to attack the space behind it, while their technical superiority became increasingly difficult for India to contain. Once they went 2-1 up, there was no looking back for Uruguay. “We needed to be careful because India have some transition. They got the ball and they could damage us,” said Forlan. “We have to be careful, trying to take the ball from them and not make any mistakes, because it could be really difficult for us if they score another goal.”
Forlan’s Uruguay are themselves still a work in progress. After losing 3-1 to Japan in his first match, they beat South Korea 4-1 before producing their most emphatic result under Forlan. The former Uruguay striker sees the job less as an immediate rebuilding exercise than an attempt to give a talented generation the tools to improve. “It is a new time, it is different. We have really good players. I am happy to be with them as a manager and give them all the tools and everything they need to become better and better.”
For India, the challenge ahead is less glamorous but more urgent. The ISL begins on 10 October, giving Jamil little time to dwell on the defeats and even less time to prepare for the tour of New Zealand in November (12 and 15). “We have to adjust,” said Jamil. “That’s the best solution.”