This is the beginning of Indian football: Bhaichung

AIMING HIGH: Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia says the next target will be World Cup qualifier.

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New Delhi: In the twilight of his illustrious career, Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia termed the title win in the ONGC Nehru Cup football tournament as one of the highlights of his playing days and hoped the victory would herald a new beginning for Indian football.

"It would rank as one of the biggest wins of my career as we do not play many international tournaments. It is a major step forward and should build confidence in the players," Bhutia said after the 1-0 final win over Syria.

India's last international title came in 2002 when they beat hosts Vietnam to win the LG Cup. He was all praise for his team for keeping up the high level of play throughout the tournament.

"The boys played well all throughout and delivered on the final day," the veteran said, adding now the team needed to carry the good work in the future. "This is just the beginning."

"We have the World Cup qualifier against Lebanon, the SAFF Championship and the AFC Challenge Cup and the team should build towards them," Bhutia said.

Coach Bob Houghton was highly impressed with his team, especially the youngsters. "Gourmangi and Dias were excellent and Subrato Paul was splendid in the goal," the Englishman said. "The team is shaping well. It was a tough match, but we did it," Houghton said.

"We deserved to win the way we played. We scored a lot of goals and conceded very few. We have worked hard and it's not just 11 players, the entire squad worked for it. I want to build on it. We beat a good side today, make no mistake Syria is really a good side," Houghton said.

There was a word of praise for the skipper as well. "Bhaichung has looked sharper in this tournament than before."

Syrian coach Fajer Ibraahim made no excuses and said they lost to a better side. "India deserved to win. We missed (Mohammad) Alzeno and (Zyad) Chaabo had to play despite being injured. We missed four chances and the Indian goalkeeper and defence were excellent in a fast paced game. The Indian back four was the best in the tournament," Ibraahim said.

The match saw several stars from other sports too, such as Dhanraj Pillay and Virender Sehwag cheering for Bhaichung and his team.

"When the national team plays in any sport, I am always there to support. Moreover, Bhaichung is a close friend. Whether it is hockey or football, the success of the national team is always welcome," the hockey stalwart said.