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An inspired second-half performance led to arguably the most prestigious victory for India as they thrashed Thailand by 4-1 to kick-start their AFC Asian Cup campaign on a positive note. A brace from Sunil Chhetri and goals from Anirudh Thapa and Jeje sealed the deal for Constantine's men.
The first half began in scrappy fashion, with both sides looking to settle into their respective configurations.
The first burst of energy was displayed by the pacy Ashique, who surged forward with speed and purpose. A couple of crosses went into the box, but couldn't quite find the forwards in wait.
The Blue Tigers looked threatening as they knocked at the Thai defence repeatedly in the opening exchanges of the game. Moreover, the entire group looked focused.
The best chance of the first 45 though, fell to Thitipan, as he venomously struck a fierce shot from 25 yards out to see his shot go just wide. From there on, Milovan Rajevac's troops initiated one-way traffic and caused a sense of confusion among India's back line.
However, out of absolutely nowhere, Ashique won a penalty for his team and up stepped the ever-so-reliable Sunil Chhetri. From there, he was never in doubt as India took an unlikely lead. Minutes later, Gurpreet and co. were exposed again from a sublime free-kick, taken by Theerathon Bunmathan.
And no one but Thailand's skipper, Theerasil Dangda, headed home the equalizer for his team.
The second-half began just as the first for India, who shifted gears and took the attack to the opposition. Chhetri beautifully slotted one past Budprom to give his men the lead for the second time and till the hour mark, it was India asking all the questions, especially on the counter.
On the break again, Chhetri found Udanta, who darted forward with the ball and laid it for young Anirudh Thapa to double the lead with a composed finish. Just two minutes since coming on, Jeje netted his first goal for the national team in 10 months and certainly, put the game beyond doubt.
While the team structure and tactics engineered a victory, it was the sheer determination of the players that played a massive hand. Ultimately, it was down to them to go out there and produce a result.
On that note, let's take a look at 5 players who underwent contrasting expeditions at the Al Nahyan Stadium.
#5 Hit: Ashique Kuruniyan
Right from the word go, if there was one player who looked ready for the battle, it was Ashique Kuruniyan.
The 24-year-old was arguably the best player in terms of the amount of work rate with the ball. He took on defenders, ran at them with intent and wriggled past the opposition defence. He fizzed in crosses and started a slew of counter-attacks for his side.
More so, it was the winger’s adaptability as another number 9 that stole the show. Ashique expressed himself and justified his selection ahead of star man Jeje.
On the defensive note as well, the winger chased players back and always switched himself on to foil the defensive line on the left.
#4 Flop: Pronay Halder
The reason why India lost out in midfield during the stages of the first half was due to the careless positioning and defending of Pronay Halder.
The central midfielder was beaten too often and early on in the game, he should have received a card for horribly fouling Songkrasin. Indeed, it was a poor challenge and more importantly, the Indian was beaten.
His positioning wasn't close enough to Thapa and that created acres of space down the left for Thailand in the middle-thirds of the pitch. Not once but thrice in the first half, he was caught napping when the War Elephants looked to commit bodies forward.
Also to mention, the gap between the back line, Thapa and Halder was more than it should have been. There was more space in a diamond-like shape, which made it harder to play the short passes.
Although he did improve in the second half and worked his socks off, there's a lot of scope for improvement as far as the ATK midfielder's concentration levels are concerned.
#3 Hit: Thitipan Puangchan
Thailand had established control over the pace of play and the way their passes were threaded, we knew India were in deep trouble. At the heart of all of this action, was Thitipan Puangchan - Thailand's midfield metronome.
He passed it around well and kept the Indian midfield at bay. The presence of mind to pick out the right passes, block channels and add to the recycling of possession was mastered by the 25-year-old.
To his credit, Thitipan found himself in space more often than not, which helped him spray passes all over the pitch.
In fact, his well-tuned shot was the closest they came to scoring, before the goal, of course. All in all, it was his calming presence on the pitch that paid off for Thailand and it is definitely something to watch out for the rest of the tournament.
#2 Flop: Supachai Jaided
No player on the pitch was dispossessed as many times as Supachai Jaided. No player on the pitch gave away the ball from key areas as many times as Supachai Jaided. Tells the story, doesn't it?
Every time the left winger picked up the ball on the left, it looked like he would scuff his chance.
Neither was there a sense of urgency nor was there the cutting edge from his side. Supachai was widely tipped to inject pace and precision to proceedings, but his performance and work rate was simply abysmal.
Time and time again, he allowed the white shirts to re-assemble and regroup. The 20-year-old's runs were just average too.
Defensively, he was nowhere to be seen tracking back when India scored their third and fourth goals. Quite horrendous and unprofessional from the winger!
#1 Hit: Sunil Chhetri
With two goals, Sunil Chhetri inspired the first victory in just over 33 years for the Blue Tigers against Thailand. Mind you, it was a comprehensive triumph.
Of course, the goals have to be appreciated to a notable degree. But Chhetri has got a lot more than just goals. Against marginal favorites, he had it in him to give India the lead not once but twice.
He was as cool as a cucumber for the spot-kick, but when the game was even, the Bengaluru FC striker's sublime finish proved why he has been the architect of India's progress as a footballing nation.
He linked up play, created chances and layoffs, struck two fantastic goals and offered every bit of his stature and omnipresent influence to the team. After Thailand restored parity on the back of some dominant play, it was all about running the extra yard and staying focused.
The sharpshooter led the team's charge, took the responsibility upon himself, as he has done over these years, and relieved the pressure off his teammates. It looks like Constantine and co. have some unfinished business.
