India football coach Igor Stimac had some harsh words for Sahal Abdul Samad and Anirudh Thapa who failed to impress against Kuwait in the crucial World Cup Qualifier at the Salt Lake Stadium on Thursday. The match ended goalless.

“You could see that we couldn’t start dominating the game in the middle even though we started with Sahal and Thapa. I expected much more from them in the first half, Stimac said at the post-match news conference on Thursday.

“Sahal was covering a lot of ground, his defensive work was fantastic and he looked nice with Sunil (Chhetri). But I needed Sahal to be a playmaker, create chances and also put in defensive work.”

Speaking about Thapa, Stimac said his performance was underwhelming considering that he is an experienced player.

“Thapa has got enough experience to adapt to situations. I expect more from them as they have enough experience to do so,” he added.

India’s hopes of making it to the third round appear dim as they face Asian champions Qatar in Doha in the last Group A match on Tuesday.

Having already qualified, Qatar named a second-string side for the last two matches. Their young team was held goalless by Afghanistan on Thursday.

The Afghans, who also have five points like India, now have the best chance to make the grade. If India lose, a draw against Kuwait would be enough for Ashley Westwood’s men.

India were unimpressive on Thursday. Former India captain Rennedy Singh though felt they were much better than what he saw against Afghanistan in Guwahati in March. “There were moments on Thursday when India could have scored.”