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After their 1-0 win against Kuwait in the first game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, hopes were high on Team India as they took on Qatar at home on Tuesday (November 21). However, the 2019 Asian Cup winners showcased grit and prowess as they came away 3-0 victors on the night against the Blue Tigers.
The game got off to a frantic start as Igor Stimac's men struggled to hold their backline tight, leading to a goal in just the fourth minute by Moustafa Tarek Mashal. However, as the minutes trickled by, India slowly found a foothold in the game, leading to a few chances in the last 10 minutes of the first half.
Unfortunately, the same rhythm was not found any more in the second half which was compounded by a goal by Almoez Ali just two minutes after the restart. Qatar piled on the pressure and Yousuf Abdurisag added a third in the 86th minute, to complete the scoreline.
India still have a lot of hopes of making it past the second round, which is set to continue in March after the AFC Asian Cup comes to a close.
On that note, let's look at the major takeaways for the Indian national team from the loss at the Kalinga Stadium.
#1 The shocking change in goal
Igor Stimac decided to go with Amrinder Singh under the bar instead of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who had kept the clean sheet against Kuwait a few days earlier.
While both the goalkeepers have been part of the national setup for a long time, Gurpreet has long remained the go-to keeper for the big occasions. The Bengaluru FC and India No. 1 also has a historic clean sheet against Qatar from when the two sides played out a 0-0 draw in 2019.
Amrinder looked out of touch from the very beginning - with the first goal being a result of a move made by Qatar after he had launched the ball right on their feet. For the second goal too, many would argue that the 30-year-old could have held on to the ball after he made the save.
He did make a couple of solid saves in the course of the game but it did not justify the bizarre selection by the head coach which has baffled many Indian football faithfuls.
#2 Apuia's masterful midfield performance
Lalengmawia Ralte, or Apuia, as he is well known, has established himself as one of the finest midfielders in the country in the last few years. His performance against Qatar further corroborated this claim.
The 23-year-old started the game in the pivot with the more mobile Suresh Singh Wangjam, who complemented his performance perfectly. Apuia's terrific control and composure on the ball helped India gain respite from the relentless Qatari waves of attack on a number of occasions.
#3 Sandesh Jhingan proving his importance
On paper, the scoreline fails to tell the story of what really transpired on the pitch in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. This was by far India's best performance against the reigning Asian champions, a team against whom we have attained better results in the past.
From the 0-0 result back in 2019 in Doha up until now, the fact that Sandesh Jhingan remains one of the most important assets to the game in our country hasn't changed in the slightest.
If it wasn't for the 30-year-old, things could've gotten much uglier for the Blue Tigers. Jhingan spearheaded the defensive line with grit, confidence, and sheer will. He dominated the Qatari forwards in the air, winning the majority of his aerial duels and blocking a number of shots that were aimed at Amrinder's goal.
It is games such as these that remind us of how important the FC Goa man is to the national team.
