Afghanistan absorbed a players’ mutiny and made light of the yawning gap in FIFA rankings to hold India 0-0 in group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday. The result took India, still seeking their first win of the year, to four points and in second place in the four-team group after leaders Qatar beat Kuwait 3-0 on Thursday. India and Afghanistan play the return fixture in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Sunil Chhetri reacts during the match.(AFP) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Unless Afghanistan win that game and Kuwait upset Qatar, it will be the fixtures in June that will decide if India can make the third round in the World Cup qualifying cycle and seal a berth in the 2027 Asian Cup. Unless India improve their attacking game between now and June, that will be difficult, head coach Igor Stimac’s assertions of going further than any Indian side in the history of World Cup qualifiers notwithstanding.
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India were poor with crosses and unable to play through the middle. They had more possession but lack of finesse in the final third let India down. The finishing was ordinary and decision-making often not even that. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu tried to find a defender to start a move and ended up conceding a throw-in. Anwar Ali did that when he was looking to play to Akash Mishra, Vikram Pratap Singh ended up playing to no one as did Lalengmawia Ralte. On a pitch left greasy by a sharp shower, this certainly was not the recipe for taking early control by India against a team ranked 41 places below them at 158.
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The intention to do that was evident from the off. Nikhil Poojary bombed down the right and he had Manvir Singh for support. On the opposite flank, Mishra stayed back but Lallianzuala Chhangte was busy as India tried using the width of the park at Abha’s Damac Club Stadium. But with Afghanistan blocking delivery routes, it didn’t amount to much. With Ralte and Jeakson Singh, back recently after a long injury lay-off, not being able to take control of the midfield and Sunil Chhetri not dropping deep to help, half-time in the mountains in Saudi Arabia would have left Afghanistan coach Ashley Westwood the happier.
Afghanistan had refused to be drawn out and with Indian not able to find passes that would beat the middle block, it led to a scrappy game of half-chances where both teams felt they were denied a penalty each. Manvir Singh tried a flick that fetched an away goal in Kuwait but couldn’t keep it in the framework after Chhangte found him. Rahul Bheke headed over Chhangte’s free-kick and Vikram Pratap Singh was shut out inside the penalty area by Afghanistan skipper Haroon Amiri in the 33rd minute.
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That was the first time India had moved the ball from right to left before finding a player inside the Afghanistan penalty box. They did it again in the 36th and again Amiri cleared for a corner-kick which Manvir Singh headed out. Amiri’s block then n saved Afghanistan early on resumption, preventing the ball from reaching Chhetri after Ralte had found Vikram Pratap Singh. Vikram Pratap then couldn’t keep a header on target.
On the hour mark, he was replaced by Brandon Fernandes. Subhasish Bose came on for Mishra in a double substitution and his inability to come to terms with the pace of the game nearly led to Afghanistan scoring in the 62nd minute. Mosawer Ahadi had found a pass beyond Bose for Rahmat Akbari but the Afghanistan midfielder got into a tangle with Omid Popalzay. India’s best chance came in the 80th minute from a corner-kick won by Liston Colaco. But Bose could not keep a free header on target. It summed up India’s night.
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2024-03-22 00:56:16
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