| India coach Bob Houghton was impressed with his team's 3-1 win over Sri Lanka in a crucial ONGC Nehru Cup football round robin game at the Amedkar Stadium here Wednesday evening. | |
 "It was a very good game and we played extremely well. We dominated all throughout 90 minutes," Houghton said.The Englishman said that the only blemish was Dinesh Ruwanthilake’s header in the 62nd minute. “It was a silly mistake by the boys. Otherwise they played an unblemished game,” he said. Houghton was all praise for his man of the moment Steven Dias and newcomer Anthony Pereira. Dias, playing on the right half, created nine chances for India and he struck in the 85th minute to complete the tally. The coach also said that Sunil Chettri’s header in the 13th minute, which was ruled off-side, looked legal to him. "To me it appeared as a genuine goal. It would have given some confidence to the young boy," he said. There were some concerns for the coach, though. It was the left-flank that was troubling Houghton. He feels that left-back Mahesh Gawli isn’t enjoying his position in the national team. “Mahesh plays as central defender for his club and it seems that he is not enjoying his role as a left-back. I feel he would have been one of the best defenders in Asia had he played on the right. I have tried to do that but Mahesh only enjoys playing as a stopper. I feel he had the talent to play in Europe but now it is too late for him,” he said. Houghton said that he would be eagerly looking for the outcome of the Thursday’s match between Syria and Lebanon. "We have a good chance of making the final. But everything will depend on tomorrow’s match. It could change the equation for us,” he said. | |