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Gurpreet Singh expected India to beat Qatar in recent World Cup qualifier

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Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has said that he expected the Blue Tigers to beat Qatar during last month’s World Cup qualifier in Doha. The Blue Tigers were underdogs against the Asian champions heading into that game but they gave a good account of themselves with Sandhu coming up with a number of key saves.


As a result, the Blue Tigers managed to secure a hard-fought draw against Qatar away from home but Sandhu believes the country should have come up with a victory instead, he told: “I had expected to win against Qatar. I don’t think it was a dream performance… I did my job. It’s just that it came against a big opponent. To be honest, I have played more difficult games. But it is good to remember the Qatar match. It helped the players gain confidence. Quite a few young boys played after a long time and showed their worth against a big team. Now, you have to move on and try to replicate that.”
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Halilhodzic Takes Charge of Morocco as New Coach

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Vahid Halilhodzic has assumed the role as the new manager of the Moroccan national team. The Atlas Lions will be able to bank on the experience of the 67-year-old, who has spent one season with Nantes. The Bosnian has also played for Nantes. He boasts a remarkable experience when it comes to management in club and international football. He was able to witness to successfully World Cup qualification campaigns with Ivory Coast in Japan, while Algeria were taken to the knockout stages under his leadership in Brazil 2014.

The 67-year-old has claimed that coaching Morocco is a huge responsibility and honour. The primary task for the new manager is to qualify for the World Cup 2022. He has also set a personal target of trying to reach the World Cup 2022 with a fourth different team. Vahid Halilhodzic is no stranger to Morocco after having been in charge of Raja Casablanca, who managed to pick up CAF champions league success in 1997. Morocco witnessed Herve Renard present from his position after the loss to Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations game. Renard’s World Cup were able to reach the World Cup 2018 in Russia but they did not get past the group stages. It also happens to be the first finals achieved by the team since 1998.
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Igor Stimac Not Fearing Qatar despite Oman Loss

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Despite starting the World Cup 2022 qualification campaign with a defeat, India’s coach Igor Stimac claims that there is not a reason to be worried ahead of the match against Qatar on Tuesday. The World Cup 2022 hosts will be taking on India in this game at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Qatar were able to gain a huge amount of positivity after beating of Afghanistan 6-0 in their own qualification match. The stakes are much higher for India in this game, as the national team’s away form has not been great.

The team can take a lot of positives from the defeat against Oman considering that it came late in the game. There were large periods in the match when India could have easily scored the second goal and killed the encounter. Now, however, the team morale will be on a low after the defeat and there is a greater necessity to win the game. Qatar and Bangladesh are the next two opponents for India before they take on Afghanistan in November.Stimac has claimed that India can expect at least 4 to 5 changes in order to retain the freshness within the squad. He also criticised the overdependence on Sunil Chhetri for the goals. Meanwhile, many of the players from the Indian squad have spoken about the high levels of motivation still available for the team.
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Mike Phelan urges World Cup-winning midfielder to stay with Manchester United

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Manchester United assistant coach Mike Phelan has urged Paul Pogba to stay committed for the Red Devils amid the ongoing speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid. The World Cup winner has been with the Red Devils for the past two-and-a-half seasons, but his performances have been mixed with flashes of brilliance every now and then.

In a report covered by Goal.com, Phelan said that Pogba is not the finished article and he has plenty of work to do in terms of achieving success at the club level with United, he told: “Paul is not the finished deal even though everyone looks at him and sees a World Cup winner already. But there is still a lot more to come — and that is the exciting bit about Manchester United. There are players here who haven’t achieved for the club what they need to achieve. And we want to make sure that they relish that experience, embrace the opportunity to win things at United.”
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Callum Hudson-Odoi shocked after maiden England call-up

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Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi has admitted that he was shocked after earning his maiden call-up to the England national side. The under-17 World Cup winner has yet to make his Premier League debut for the Blues but he has still managed to make Gareth Southgate’s side after impressing with the limited game time in the Cup competitions.

Speaking to reporters, the 18-year-old acknowledged that the announcement came as a shock for him and initially considered the same as a joke from Under 21s boss Aidy Boothroyd, he said: “It’s been a crazy day but getting my first (senior) international call-up is an amazing feeling. Today has been a very long day for me because I had to travel to Bristol first for the U21s and then getting told that I have to come over here to St George’s Park. It’s been a crazy experience but I’m delighted to get the call and it’s a nice feeling to be here as well. I thought the manager was joking. I was shocked and then when I heard that I actually had to go over, I couldn’t believe it. I was delighted. It’s a dream come true.”
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