India lost 1-3 to Curacao in the opening match of the King's Cup on June 5, Wednesday. Sunil Chhetri scored from the spot in the 31st minute but goals from Luis Bonevacia, Elson Hooi and Leandro Bacuna meant Curacao won comfortably, and progressed to the final.
India was trailing by two goals during the break and just as the whistle went off, head coach Igor Stimac delivered his half-time team talk on the field itself.
READ | India falls prey to Curacao in Igor Stimac's first test
"We did not want to waste time walking to the dressing room as it is far (from the field). Walking to and fro from the dressing room takes six to seven minutes," said Stimac. "The sun was coming down, it wasn’t hot anymore so I kept the players on the pitch.
"If you bring them from 38 degrees to a small room where it is air-conditioned to 19 degrees, it is another shock for them.
ALSO READ | India 1-3 Curacao: As it happened
India put up a better performance in the second half with the introduction of newcomers Raynier Fernandes, Amarjit Singh Kiyam followed by Michael Soosairaj, who were among the six players who made their national team debuts against Curacao.
However, the performance did not reflect on the scoreline, which in the end saw India walk off with a defeat. It will play in the third-place playoff on June 8 against Thailand.
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