U17 World Cup: Luis Norton de Matos - India showed they can play

Luis Norton de Matos was a proud man after his team put in a valiant display against Colombia in their second Group A fixture in the FIFA U17 World Cup.
 
Juan Penaloza scored twice while India’s Jeakson Singh’s goal was sandwiched in between.
 
“Yes, I will sleep well with the sentiment that the players played a fantastic game. I am very proud as the Indian team showed they can play in this competition. It was a dream six months ago to think that we can give this against a top South American team. I’m happy and tired.
 
“I’m also frustrated because there was a possibility to win. At least we should have had a draw. The players had the capacity to suffer and the organization was always there. USA coach said that it was difficult to play against us. Even the Colombian coach said the same. It’s a proven idea now. We need what? We need more consistency in our last pass and in the transition to offensive.
 
“In first half, I would like to score a goal first and hopefully look to win a game,” he shared his thoughts.
 
Norton explained that his team doesn’t have the experience of playing in a competition. He further added that his team switched off after they scored late in the game.
 
“The problem was that we scored towards the end of the game. The happiness of the players after scoring saw them lose concentration. We don’t have this experience. After the goal, three-to-four-to-five minutes, it’s easy to get them to focus. However, the very next minute was like a dream for them.
 
“It’s a pity that against USA, we struck the post and they scored which was a big punishment for us. 2-1 would have been fine. That would have been the correct result. We lost because the will to win can have some contradiction. They were a bit lost for some minutes. It’s not their fault but they need more competition. This team has a fantastic future.”