The Blue Tigers have not lost in their last nine matches under Igor Stimac’s tutelage…
India remained unbeaten en route to a record eighth SAFF Championship title. The Blue Tigers finished the job off in style, beating Nepal 3-0 in the final of the tournament.
After two disappointing draws against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Igor Stimac’s side came back strongly and defeated Nepal and Maldives in their final two round-robin fixtures before beating Nepal again in the final. With these five matches, Stimac’s men extended their unbeaten run to nine matches in international games.
The last time they lost a match was against reigning Asian champions Qatar 1-0 in a 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying game on June 3, 2021, in Doha. Since then, they won five matches and drew four.
The Blue Tigers played Bangladesh twice, winning once and drawing once. They faced Nepal four times out of which they won three. They also faced Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which ended in draws.
This is the second-best unbeaten run India have experienced in the last 11 years. Their best was under Stephen Constantine when they went without a loss in 12 matches from June 2016 to March 2018.
Here, we take a look at India’s best unbeaten runs in the last 11 years.
What are India’s longest unbeaten runs in the last 11 years?
| Tenure | Matches | Opponents | India coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 2011 – Feb 23, 2012 | 5 | Afghanistan (1-1), Bhutan (5-0), Sri Lanka (3-0), Maldives (3-1), Afghanistan (4-0) | Savio Medeira |
| Nov 12, 2015 – Jan 3, 2016 | 5 | Guam (1-0), Sri Lanka (2-0), Nepal (4-1), Maldives (3-2), Afghanistan (2-1) | Stephen Constantine |
| Jun 2, 2016 – Mar 27, 2018 | 12 | Laos (1-0, 6-1), Puerto Rico (4-1), Cambodia (3-2), Myanmar (1-0, 2-2), Nepal (2-0), Kyrgyz Republic (1-0), Mauritius (2-1), Saint Kitts and Nevis (1-1), Macau (2-0, 4-1) | Stephen Constantine |
| Jun 7, 2021 – Present | 9 | Bangladesh (2-0, 1-1), Afghanistan (1-1), Nepal (1-1, 2-1, 1-0, 3-0), Sri Lanka (0-0), Maldives (3-1) | Igor Stimac |
*Only unbeaten runs with five or more matches are considered
India’s nine-match unbeaten run under Igor Stimac
| Date | Match | Competition | Venue |
| June 7, 2021 | Bangladesh 0-2 India | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Doha |
| June 15, 2021 | India 1-1 Afghanistan | 2022 World Cup qualifiers | Doha |
| September 2, 2021 | Nepal 1-1 India | International friendly | Kathmandu |
| September 5, 2021 | Nepal 1-2 India | International friendly | Kathmandu |
| October 4, 2021 | Bangladesh 1-1 India | SAFF Championship 2021 | Male |
| October 7, 2021 | India 0-0 Sri Lanka | SAFF Championship 2021 | Male |
| October 10, 2021 | Nepal 0-1 India | SAFF Championship 2021 | Male |
| October 13, 2021 | India 3-1 Maldives | SAFF Championship 2021 | Male |
| October 16, 2021 | India 3-0 Nepal | SAFF Championship 2021 | Male |
Source: Source: Goal
