Igor Stimac’s first match as India coach ended in defeat as they lost 1-3 against Curacao in their King’s Cup opener in Buriram, Thailand on Wednesday.
Rolieny Bonevacia, Elson Quincy Hooi and Leandro Bacuna all scored inside the first half to take the higher-ranked side to the final.
Rahul Bheke, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sahal Abdul Samad made their senior team debuts as Stimac opted for a 4-2-3-1 line up with Sunil Chhetri leading the team.
Curacao, ranked 82 in the Fifa rankings, dominated the proceedings early on and drew first blood through Bonevacia who opened the scoring in the eight minute. Winger Hooi doubled their advantage after charging free on the left, beating Gurpreet Singh Sandhu before slotting calmly past Sandesh Jhighan from a tight angle.
However, India opened the scoring through Sunil Chhetri, who also became the highest capped Indian player while making his 108th appearance. The skipper calmly slotted a penalty past keeper Eloy Victor room as India pulled one back.
But their joy was short lived as Cardiff City midfielder Leandro Bacuna doubled Curacao’s advantage three minutes later after he was left completely unmarked.
India soon switched to a 3-5-2 formation and the system brought about a positive change as India headed to the break.
Stimac brought on debutants Raynier Fernandes, Michael Soosairaj and Amarjit Singh for Chhangte, Brandon and Pranoy Halder and they began the second half on a brighter note.
They saw more of the ball but lacked the finishing touches despite creating multiple chances. The biggest chance fell for Chhetri in the latter stages of the game as he powered a cross from Udanta Singh over the bar.
With the win, Curacao marched into the finals on Saturday while India will now face the losers of the match between Thailand and Vietnam for third place later on the same day.
