FIFA World Cup qualifier: India 1-2 Turkmenistan - 5 Talking Points

Turkmenistan came from behind to defeat India 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. India took the lead through Sandesh Jhingan in the first half before two second half goals from Arslan and Atayev Serdarali saw Turkmenistan earn all three points.

Here are five talking points from the match:

Coach Constantine must be credited for his squad selection

Stephen Constantine returned for his second stint at coaching India in January 2015. Since then a total 23 players have made their debut under his tutelage. “What have we done in the last five years to expect qualification? It's like doing well in exam and passing. And we haven't even studied for the exam”, said Constantine before their encounter against Turkmenistan.

Despite a poor outing at the qualifiers, credit must go to the coach for unearthing young talent on a regular basis. Over the course his fifteen months in charge, Stephen has improved India’s squad depth and gameplay by leaps and bounds. There may be a real possibility that he may be replaced in the near future but he will definitely sign off knowing he did is best.

Cavin Lobo and Pronay Haider alliance looks promising

India’s midfield duo did extremely well to maintain possession on a night when one expected the visitors to dominate possession. Lobo, in particular, looked extremely tranquil on the ball. His neat one two’s with Udanta and Jeje split the Turkmenistan defense on numerous occasions.

Pronay, on the other hand, kept the visitors at bay for large parts of the match. He plays in a position that often goes unnoticed- defensive midfielder. But the twenty-two year old showed his tactical acumen, pressing the opposition midfielders incessantly.

He slowed down the pace of the game when required thus frustrating their higher ranked opponents who were intent on scoring on the counter attack. Together, Cavin and Pronay looked the real deal and will be hoping to cement a regular place in the starting eleven from now on.

Udanta is a winger worth persisting with

Only 15 minutes were required for the nineteen-year-old winger to suggest that he may be a regular mainstay in this Indian squad. Every time he got the ball, he was a menace for the opposition full backs. His combination of pace and trickery was there for all to see.

Against Turkmenistan, he regularly whipped in dangerous crosses from the right. Of which the Indian forwards should have done a lot more. More importantly, Udanta exhibited his ambidextrous nature. When not given an opportunity to cross with his right, he looked at ease when shifting the ball to his left and crossing.

One of his left-footed deliveries was inch perfect and found Narayan Das in the box only for the latter to slash it way wide of the mark.

Turkmenistan make merry on the wings

Against Iran in their previous match, the Blue Tigers were cut open often at the wings. Today was no different. The likes of Didar Durdiyev and Astanov regularly got the better of the Indian fullbacks. Their opening goal, in fact, was a result of a well-worked move from the right.

Didar Durdiyev did brilliantly to send in a floater and caught the entire Indian back four napping. The lack of communication between keeper Gurpreet and his defenders was evident on that move. With the Indian’s flooding the centre of the park, the visitors outnumbered their opponents on the wings which proved to be a well thought out tactic by coach Kocumow.

This is one area where the Indian’s will be looking to improve. They seem to be a tad bit slow in closing down their opponents at the flanks thus giving them ample time to deliver from the wings.

Indians still lacking killer instinct to finish off a match

It was a big night for team India. They had the opportunity to end their World Cup qualifying campaign on a high. But the hosts didn’t do enough to instill confidence among the critics and fans alike. They started the game slowly but eventually matched visitors in the first half.

The second half was all Turkmenistan as their quality came to the fore. The Blue Citizens would be disappointed in the manner in which they surrendered their lead. On a night when they needed balance and concentration, the hosts eventually succumbed to some clever and quick plays.

For long the Indians did well to press their opponents. They hunted in packs. However slowly but steadily, the men in white tightened their grip on the match. India’s focus was admirable but it didn’t last for long.