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The Indian national team's disappointing Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament campaign came to a close with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Vietnam at the Thong Nhat Stadium on Tuesday, September 27. The Blue Tigers seemed out of depth against the 97th-ranked team right from the get-go.
Vietnam opened the scoring in the 10th minute itself after a mix-up between Sandesh Jhingan and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The latter's punch from an opposition corner fell kindly for Phan Van Duc, who volleyed it towards the keeper. The Bengaluru FC custodian made a mess of the regulation save and the ball rolled over the line.
The Golden Star Warriors doubled their lead right after the half-time break through Van Toan before scoring their third in the 71st minute through substitute Van Quyet. Igor Stimac's team's performance left the Indian football faithful furious.
While there were several defensive lapses, the midfield lacked creativity of any sort. The Croatian head coach looked out of ideas and the players weren't any different. On social media, fans slandered the Blue Tigers' performance against Vietnam.
Below are the best reactions:
In 2010, India defeated Vietnam 3-1 at the Balewadi Sports Complex thanks to a hat-trick from Sunil Chhetri. The opposition was then ranked 125th, however, over the past few years, Vietnam have grown leaps and bounds as a footballing nation. Meanwhile, the Blue Tigers have very little to show in terms of performance.
Sandesh Jhingan criticized by fans following his sub-par performance against Vietnam
While Gurpreet should've ideally saved the shot for the first goal, many opined that if Sandesh hadn't prodded the keeper, the deadline wouldn't have been broken.
Similarly, for the third goal, Sandesh was again in the thick of things when his attempted headed clearance fell to a Vietnamese player before the ball found the back of the net.
The performance against Vietnam will not only concern Sandesh but also the rest of the Indian team. If the Blue Tigers are to have a respectable run in the AFC Asian Cup next year, the players and the coach's inputs will have to improve in leaps and bounds.
