How India changed Emirati perception
abu dhabi — India’s ‘Men in Blue’ have been dominant in the cricketing world for a long time. The glorious achievements are such that cricket has eclipsed all other sports in the country. So it comes as no surprise that the UAE keeper Khalid Eisa and his teammates were left dazed by the spirited play of football from Indian ‘Blue Tigers’ during the AFC Asian Cup Group A clash at a packed Zayed Sports City Stadium.
“People in the UAE know India as a strong cricketing unit but the football players have changed that perception with their awesome show in the two matches of the tournament. Now it comes as no surprise to us that they beat Thailand 4-1 in the first match. India are no more an easy team as was the case before. We had to push hard to win the match compared to the effort taken in the first match (against Bahrain),” Eisa said about his idea of a India as cricket-crazy nation.
The UAE won the encounter 2-0 as Eisa withstood a wave of attacks from Sunil Chhetri-led side. “I give everything on the field. We always try to make fans happy. We wish to go all the way in the tournament and lift the title. So, I wish everyone continue to support us like this way and we become champions at home,” the Al Ain keeper said.
Meanwhile, defender Al Hassan Saleh said both teams had their chances and it was anyone’s match till the very end.
“Indians were tough side with good players. They played with good spirit. It was a 50-50 match. But importantly our performance improved from the first match. We scored from our chances and had good moments in front of goal. It was an inspiring result ahead of the next match. We are focusing to top the group. We may qualify with one more point but we want to grab all three points. Thailand proved to be a tough team for Bahrain but it was surprising seeing how teams have fared so far in this tournament. I would love to see the UAE and Bahrain advance from this group.”
The ‘Whites’ have finished their training in Abu Dhabi and moved to Al Ain for further sessions as they take on Thailand at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Monday.