One of the best results of my tenure with India: Khalid Jamil after Panama draw

Facing a side ranked 94 places above it, India showed tenacity and dominated a game, a sight Indian football has long been seeking, with Ryan Williams finding the scoresheet for the Blue Tigers as it held Panama to a 1-1 draw.

Updated : Sep 26, 2026 09:43 IST , Bengaluru - 4 MINS READ

File photo: India manager Khalid Jamil opted to make his wide players in midfield do most of the running down the sides instead of the fullbacks | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR

The Indian media has gotten used to the men’s football team head coach Khalid Jamil’s stoic nature and the tendency to give nothing more than what is required. So it came somewhat unexpectedly when he admitted that India’s 1-1 draw at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday was one of the best matches of his tenure.

And he is not wrong. Facing a side ranked 94 places above it, India showed tenacity and dominated a game, a sight Indian football has long been seeking. Ryan Williams surprisingly put the Blue Tigers in the lead after receiving a peach of a pass from Akash Mishra, before a thunder strike from Omar Valencia helped the two-time World Cup participant leave with a draw.

“All the credit goes to the players; they work very hard,” Jamil was quick to note, adding that “They have their belief (now); we must continue like that. They are very mature. They only need support, and we must provide it.”

ALSO READ: India draws 1-1 with Panama, a team ranked 94 spots above it; Ryan Williams scores

India’s goalscorer Williams echoed his coach’s comments, also emphasizing the value of “togetherness” in the camp. “We have a really good group here, and you can see that on the pitch. I don’t think there was one player there who didn’t give everything on the pitch,” he said.

“Before the game, we all believed in each other. We knew what our best attributes are. What we tried to focus on was each individual action. Not the whole 90 minutes, but each individual action,” he explained.

A shift in camp

A lot of India’s success came due to Jamil’s choice to make his wide players in midfield do most of the running down the sides instead of the fullbacks, who spent the night focused on defending. 

A set four in defense and midfield, instead of relying on transitions, worked in India’s favour as Panama was left resorting to long shots, one of which found the back of the net. Meanwhile, out front, Williams and Manvir Singh did their best to hold the ball for each other, while making overlapping runs.

“One of my attributes is timing the run. But I can’t score that goal without Manvir coming short and pulling that defender out. We did work on certain things in training, and that was one of them. We were really happy with how we took the ball back to front,” Williams noted.

“It’s been a really good camp in terms of everyone being very free, very happy, and very high-spirited. So all we need to do is maintain that when the camps keep coming. And I think we’re definitely on the right path,” he added.

For Williams, his own personal success is aided by the welcome he received from his teammates after sacrificing his Australian citizenship to represent India. “I love coming to camp with all these boys. You know, they make me feel so welcome. They could have easily kind of excluded me and things because, possibly, I’m an outsider. But they’ve been amazing with me. They have backed me up in every game I’ve played in,” Williams revealed.

And while the vibes may be on the up in the squad, Jamil cautioned that there was still a lot more to be looked at, especially with Brazil and Uruguay coming up. “Even though the performance was good (against Panama), there was a lack of concentration in the second half,” Jamil said.

“But for now, everyone is enjoying the practice and being together. There is no negativity at all. And that is a plus point,” he concluded.

Published on Sep 26, 2026

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