Time and again, the players and the coaches of the Indian football team have stressed that the Blue Tigers’ stellar run of form is down to the collective effort of the team and not just an individual.
But grand occasions invite grand performances, where a certain player(s) goes that extra mile to stand apart. Against Lebanon in the 2023 SAFF Championship semifinal, the night belonged to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
For a long time, Sandhu had been the undisputed choice between the sticks for India. In recent times, however, he has been sharing the role with Amrinder Singh, with the rotation working out well for Igor Stimac and his men.
In the Lebanon match, Sandhu had to deal with pressure on multiple fronts. First, he shared the collective responsibility with the senior players in the absence of coach Stimac on the sidelines. On a personal front, he had to manage without the familiar face of Sandesh Jhingan in the backline - a player with whom he shares excellent communication.
“I think we were shaky in some moments because we were missing Sandesh, but again, credit to Mehtab [Singh], credit to Anwar [Ali] for taking that responsibility and making sure that we didn’t concede. So, kudos to them,” said Sandhu after the match.
It wasn’t an easy outing at a packed Kanteerava, but the Indian goalie reigned supreme. He made five crucial saves, one of which came in the penalty shootout, where he saved Lebanon skipper Hassan Matouk’s spot-kick.
Four of his saves came in the first half, including a stop in the eighth minute, where he kept out Zein Al Abdine Farran in a one-on-one situation.
“Playing at home, that is, at Kanteerava and the BFC [Bengaluru FC] home, in national team jerseys is always special. Another magical night where the team showed resilience.”
“This team is doing well, and the amount of work we have put in the last five-six weeks is showing. Not in terms of technical and tactical, because that is something coaches will decide, but the grit, the determination and the fight is something I am really proud of,” added Sandhu.
Ask any goalkeeper; they’d prefer the match to finish in regulation time. Penalty shootouts in a high-tension knockout match are the nemesis of all keepers, no matter how experienced they are.
Sandhu acknowledged the fight his team showed for 120 minutes, but the Indian team missed some clear-cut chances, forcing the match into a shootout. Thankfully for the Indian No. 1, Saturday’s shootout was a favourable one.
“In those situations, as a keeper, all I want to do is make sure that I don’t make it too easy for the guy who is shooting. Just stay big and then choose a side. If a ball comes there, try to touch it, and everything else will be taken care of.”
Penalties, like every other aspect of the game, require practice on the training ground. Recent trends show that teams follow a pre-determined blueprint when it comes to spot-kicks.
A lot of goalkeepers keep notes based on the shooting tendencies of opponent players. Sandhu said, for him, it mostly boils down to experience and the work he puts in during training.
“I am lucky that in our team, we have such good penalty-takers, and I get to train against them. It also helps me when opportunities come like this. Although you can’t save every one of them, it helps you to know what the penalty-taker is thinking.”
“Players of different positions [think differently]. The No. 10 may try to trick you; maybe a centre-back or a centre-forward will decide to shoot one way. Experience helps; physicality helps. If I was 5’4’, I wouldn’t be able to save that [Maatouk’s] penalty.”
With India in the final, Sandhu will, in all probability, start between the sticks. He would be facing the team which ended India’s run of eight successive clean sheets after the 1-1 draw in the group-stage. But Sandhu said he would approach the game like any other match, and the best he can do is trust in his abilities.
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