India’s coach Stephen Constantine has labelled his team’s 1-0 victory over Myanmar in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday as “one of the biggest wins in our recent history” and “an away gold”. Sunil Chhettri’s 90th-minute goal allowed India to defeat its neighbour in that country for the first time in 64 years, a period larger than the age of Constantine himself, the Englishman was pleased to note.
“Myanmar is not a powerhouse in Asian Football. But when you look at the significance and what it means to Indian football, this is perhaps one of the biggest wins in our recent history. When you look at [it] from inside, it’s bigger than huge. We now need to build on this,” Constantine said in an interview with All India Football Federation (AIFF).
He added, “I am happy that we have broken the Myanmar jinx which has plagued over the 64 years. I am also happy that we have got rid of the tag of ‘not being able to win away matches’ which we had for long.”
Constantine, however, warned against complacency setting in. “The result against Guam (in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2015) is something which I will not forget for a number of reasons. The compete disrespect which most people showed for Guam affected the team. We were way too confident and casual in our approach and we cannot allow this to happen again. I will not allow myself and players to be complacent again and fall into the trap,” he said.
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