AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers: India vs Tajikistan – 5 talking points as young Blue Tigers crash out

#4 Tajikistan dominated the game

Tajikistan opened the scoring in the 30th minute

From the very first minute, Tajikistan showed they meant business. They took control of the game and created a nice attack in the very first minute and India was fortunate to escape the early scare.

But as time went on, Tajikistan got more grip on their game. Like India, they were playing long balls too but also their short passes were brilliant. They were using the wings to open the Indian defence. They were confident with or without the ball and were using the set-piece brilliantly.

Even when they lost the ball, Tajikistan players chased their opponent until they get the control of the ball again. The constant pressure made the life of Indian players difficult. Their defensive organisation was also good, which didn’t commit too much mistake.

In all, Tajikistan played according to their plan, which was too keep India out of their natural game, and they did it successfully.