India's young footballers, who form the squad for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, on Monday said in unison that they became confident as players after their stint with the AIFF's development side Indian Arrows.
The Indian team defeated Oman 2-1 in its opening fixture of the Qualifiers at the Fujairah Stadium here Sunday, riding on goals from Rahim Ali (6') and Vikram Partap Singh (37').
"I'd say the Indian Arrows project helped us immensely -- not just for me, but for the entire batch. It helped develop our footballing ability and skill," said Deepak Tangri, who plays as a defensive midfielder.
For the record, 20 players have graduated from the Indian Arrows project into the squad of 23.
"The most important facet of the Arrows project is the exposure it gave us with regards to the multitude of opponents we faced in various countries at the U19 level. It built confidence in us."
READ: India beats Oman 2-1 in U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers
"Getting more and more games at a young age coupled with the fact that we played teams from different regions exposed us to play against multiple styles, and all of that aided in our development,” he said in one breath," Tangri added.
Tangri's defending partner Narenfder Gehlot added: "We have to dust ourselves off and focus on the next task at hand which is the upcoming game against UAE. They are the hosts, and are extremely strong."
Waleed Salim scored a consolation goal in added time but the three points headed India's way.
The next couple of days will be all about recovery, taking care of the niggles and the knocks endured.
Striker Rahim Ali who converted India's spot-kick early in the first half, maintained that "in such a match it's hard to pick up a man of the match."
"Can you pick a Man of the match in such matches?" he queried. "You just can't," he continued.
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"This is a brilliant team effort, and everyone contributed to the victory. We played as a team, and want to continue the trend." Vikram Partap Singh, India's second goal scorer quipped: "I was desperate, everyone was desperate. But it was set up for me from behind. I just had to finish it. It was a brilliant team performance." Head coach Igor Stimac credited the players for the positive result.
"The entire credit goes to the boys especially given the fact that they didn't have much time to prepare for this."
"The togetherness they displayed on the pitch, and their tactical discipline makes me extremely happy. But this is just one game, and there are two more to go," Stimac said.
The victory was India's first-ever against Oman at the U-23 level. But the coach wasn't willing to read into it.
"I have told my boys to forget this result. It's always important how you leave a tournament, and not how you start it. We concentrate on the next game, and we go one by one," Stimac added.
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