HANGZHOU: The Indian football team held its first training session in Hangzhou before their round of 16 match at the Asian Games. "Finally got done with the first training session with our boys, enjoying beautiful facilities in Hangzhou.
Only in the city they have 29 new stadiums and in the region 41. It’s amazing what China has done for football infrastructure to grow the sport," India Head Coach Igor Stimac wrote on X.
Stimac earlier appreciated the Blue Tigers for qualifying to the round of 16 of the tournament even after completing their recovery sessions at a park in China.
India finished at second place in Group A with one win, one loss, and a draw. Sunil Chettri’s side ended the group stage matches with four points from three games.
The Blue Tigers started their journey at the Asian Games with a 5-1 loss against China but won their second game against Bangladesh 1-0 and ended the group stage with a 1-1 draw against Myanmar. Myanmar ended at third place with the same number of points while the host China topped group A with seven points.
India needed at least a draw in the match against Myanmar to go to the next round of the tournament. In their upcoming Round of 16 match, India will take on Saudi Arabia on September 28 at Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou.