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Sunil Chhetri's 91st and Naorem Mahesh Singh's maiden international goals were enough to give India a 2-0 victory against Nepal in the SAFF Championship on Saturday.
The hosts breached the Nepal defense twice in quick succession right after the hour mark. Vincenzo Annese's side, despite their best efforts, couldn't string together a resolute response. As a result, Igor Stimac's men managed to secure a berth in the SAFF Championship 2023 semi-final with the victory.
The Blue Tigers, with eight changes to the starting lineup, looked a little nervy in the initial exchanges. The Gorkhalis managed to carve out some half-chances from the chaos in the middle of the park.
However, it was Stimac's men who created the first gilt-edge opportunity of the night when Naorem found Sahal Abdul Samad inside the opposition box with a cutback from the left. However, the Kerala Blasters FC talisman miscued his effort.
Soon after, Nepal responded through a sweet volley from Alik Bista in the 17th minute, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stepped in with a crucial stop. The first-half breezed past without either side making the scoreboard tick.
The opening goal of the game presented itself only at the hour mark when Naorem Mahesh Singh's inch-perfect cross found Chhetri inside the box. It allowed the veteran forward to easily tap the ball into the back of the net.
Minutes later, India doubled their lead when the two combined yet again. The East Bengal winger nodded home a deflected shot from the skipper to register his maiden goal in international football.
On that note, here are the player ratings for the Indian team from their 2-0 victory against Nepal:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK) [6.5]
Unlike in the previous matches, the Indian numero uno was called into action early into the game. Alik Bista tested Gurpreet with a vicious volley from the edge of the box, but the BFC shot-stopper was up to the task. For the rest of the match, he kept matters simple and secured the eighth straight clean sheet for the hosts.
Rahul Bheke [7.0]
Returning to the starting lineup, Rahul Bheke put up a clinical performance in the backline and partnered with Mehtab Singh brilliantly. The duo looked unfazed even when Vincenzo Annesse's men were on the front foot.
Mehtab Singh [7.5]
The Mumbai City FC center-back put up a resolute performance at the back for the Blue Tigers. Mehtab Singh was sturdy going into challenges, efficient with his passing, and adventurous with his long-ball attempts.
Akash Mishra [7.5]
This was another night of grafting from the full-back who presented himself as an attacking outlet throughout the night. When Akash and Mahesh combined, India's left flank looked extremely potent.
Nikhil Poojary [6.5]
The Hyderabad FC man kept matters tight down his end and marshalled Ayush Ghallan brilliantly. However, he couldn't find the tempo going forward, maybe due to the lack of communication between him and Udanta.
Rohit Kumar [6.5]
The Bengaluru FC youngster did a tremendous job of mopping up every opposition attacking manoeuvre but couldn't control the tempo of the game like Jeakson. Also, on certain occasions, he lost possession of the ball when being pressed by Nepal.
Anirudh Thapa [7.0]
Anirudh Thapa yet again prospered in the midfield for the Blue Tigers, finding the right passing channels, controlling the proceedings, and recycling possession, especially in the second half.
Sahal Abdul Samad [7.0]
Throughout the night, Sahal Abdul Samad found pockets of space between opposition defensive lines and was one of India's primary creative forces. However, his quality in the final phases often let down the Indian attacks in the first half.
After the break, Sahal looked much more composed in possession and was heavily involved in the build-up to both goals.
Naorem Mahesh Singh [8.5]
Right from the get-go, the industrious winger continued to run at the opposition's defenses. In the 16th minute itself, he created a glorious opportunity with an inch-perfect cutback from the left, but Sahal squandered the gilt-edge opportunity.
He made a resounding mark on the match in the second half when he provided the assist for Sunil Chhetri's strike before getting on the scoresheet himself.
Udanta Singh [5.5]
Although Udanta Singh featured right from the start, his performance was quite uninspiring. He couldn't create the right transitional plays to run at defenders and departed the field right after the hour mark.
Sunil Chhetri [8.0]
The 38-year-old forward had an underwhelming night in terms of involvement with the play in the attacking third. However, just like 90 times before tonight, Sunil Chhetri was present in the right spot at the right time to tuck home the opener in the 60th minute.
The veteran marksman was also heavily involved in the second goal that was eventually converted by Mahesh.
Substitutes
Jeakson Singh [7.0]
Unsurprisingly, right after Jeakson Singh entered the pitch, India looked far more comfortable in possession of the ball. He was assured with his passing and made some ball recoveries at the very end.
Lallianzuala Chhangte [7.0]
Right off the bench, Chhangte brought a lot of explosiveness onto the pitch and the Nepalese defenders found it very difficult to contain the MCFC winger. He was unlucky to come away without any goal contributions.
Rahim Ali [5.5]
It was another poor showing off the bench for Rahim Ali. A few lacklustre touches and duels ultimately summarized his night.
