Kenya suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of India at the Mumbai Football Arena with a place in the Finals at stake.
The hosts booked a place in the finals with the victory over sorry Kenya and are likely to lift the trophy as well considering Kenya was the only opposition that would have given them a run for their money.
It was a footballing lesson to the national team as they failed to sustain the pressure and collapsed late on to allow a flurry of goals.
1. Sunil Chhetri is unstoppable
The evergreen striker has proved to be indias main man and made clear of his credentials when he found the back of the net eight minutes after the hour before completing his brace deep into extra time. India have relied on him heavily and he hasn’t let them down after also scoring a hat-trick in the match against Chinese Taipei. His 100th match for the nation was a joyous one after he continued with his match to the top of international all-time scoring charts.
2. Migne was out of ideas
Harambee stars coach Sebastien Migne was left flabbergasted after his side failed to contain an Indian side that incorporated other ideas into the game in the second half. They had managed to hold them back and headed into the interval level. A tweak of formation by India tactician Stephen Constantine midway through the second half caught Migne unawares and meant Kenya surrendered their efforts.
3. Stars players need more experience
It is true that the team taken to India lacked sufficient experience and are not used to playing in front of mighty crowds. It was clear especially how they suddenly crumbled after India got their goal and cheers were louder and from all corners of the stadium.
The players need to work on that aspect of the game and concentrate more on the proceedings.
4. The Kenyan defense is sluggish
The defense should have done more to keep out all of India's strikes as all of them came against the run of play. They were a bit slow in closing down opponents.
They also left too many spaces in behind that India exploited in devastating fashion. Chhetri’s third goal was as a result of amateurish defending from the home team and could have done well in keeping out the assist as well.
5.Stars are taking too long to adapt to Migne’s tactics
The national team is taking too long to adapt to the tactician’s tactical approach to the game. The way India outplayed them shows that they need to step up their efforts and learn as quickly as possible. He is doing his best but his ideas are not getting across in the manner that he would want them to.