Khalid Jamil Defends Gurpreet Sandhu After India’s 4-0 Brazil Defeat
India coach Khalid Jamil has defended Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after the goalkeeper’s difficult 90th international appearance ended in a 4-0 friendly defeat to Brazil at Salt Lake Stadium.
Sandhu was caught out by low efforts from Estevao and Pedro in the first half, with Brazil taking control before the interval. The India captain was replaced at half-time by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill as the five-time world champions completed a four-goal win.
Jamil rejected the suggestion that responsibility for the early goals should rest solely with Sandhu, arguing that India’s defending before the shots was also a major factor.
“He is one of the best goalkeepers India has, and we cannot judge him in just two matches, because the next game is coming up,” Jamil said. “He will be back again. Sometimes it happens. You cannot blame just one player. If you see many mistakes from defenders, allowing him to take a shot.”
Brazil defeat brings mixed signs for India
Although the scoreline was emphatic, India showed competitiveness in several areas against Brazil. Jamil’s side won more individual duels than their opponents and recorded 13 successful dribbles, compared with Brazil’s three.
The coach identified Anirudh Thapa, Ryan Williams and Manvir Singh as players who gave encouraging performances in a demanding fixture.
Sandhu’s opening-half mistakes nevertheless attracted considerable attention online in Brazil. TNT Sports Brasil posted an image of the goalkeeper with the message “Singh Sandhu, obrigado por tudo” — “thanks for everything” — and sarcastically described him as the match’s “Craque do Jogo”, or man of the match, after Brazil had been handed a two-goal advantage.
Jamil challenges substitutes
While standing by his experienced goalkeeper, Jamil was more critical of the players introduced after the break. He said those coming from the bench needed to be better prepared to influence matches, particularly against elite opposition.
“The ones who came on tonight weren’t up to the mark,” he said. “If a player comes on, they have to be prepared. Mentally, they have to be strong.”
India will now prepare for another high-level friendly against Uruguay, the two-time World Cup winners. New Zealand are also scheduled to face Jamil’s side during the November international window.
Improving defensive concentration will be central to India’s work before those games, with Jamil seeking to carry forward the positive individual displays while cutting out the lapses that allowed Brazil to build their first-half lead.
