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India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in a group D match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. Sunil Chhetri and Sahal Abdul Samad scored for India in the 86th and 91st minute, respectively, while Zubayr Amiri equalised for the visitors in the 88th minute before the Indian lead was restored.
There was a lot of drama towards the latter stages of the match, with all three goals coming inside the last 10 minutes. The Blue Tigers now cannot finish lower than second in the group, with group-toppers Hong Kong beating Cambodia 3-0 earlier on Saturday. With five of the best second-placed teams qualifying for the finals, it can be said that the Blue Tigers have taken a significant step towards qualification with today’s victory.
The Blue Tigers will play against Hong Kong in the last match of the group on Tuesday.
On that note, let’s take a look at three things that stood out in the match.
#1 India dominated start by attacking through left
India started the match well and remained the dominant team during the initial phases of the first half. The Blue Tigers started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jeakson Singh and Aashique Kurunian replacing Brandon Fernandes and Anirudh Thapa, respectively, from the eleven that started against Cambodia. Chhteri started as the lone striker, with Aashique and Manvir Singh playing on the flanks and Liston Colaco deployed as the No. 10.
India launched a few attacks through the left flank with Colaco combining well with Aashique. Aashique managed to send in a few crosses from the left, but failed to harm Afghanistan.
The Afghan players sensed that Colaco was the prime creative outlet for India and kept fouling him. Meanwhile, their right-back stayed deep to foil Aashique’s runs. Still, the Blue Tigers were able to earn five corners and had almost 60% ball possession during the initial 15 minutes.
India’s best chance of the first half came when Jeakson had a free header from a corner, but the 20-year-old midfielder’s effort missed the target by a whisker.
#2 Afghanistan snatched well, Blue Tigers wasted crosses
Afghanistan survived the initial onslaught and managed to come back into the match. They attacked primarily through the left flank and succeeded in putting some pressure on India’s right-back, Roshan Singh. The visitors earned three corners in quick succession but could not find the elusive goal.
Meanwhile, the intensity of India’s attacks lessened somewhat with the Afghan players rendering Colaco ineffective with their impressive snatching. The Goan midfielder was often not given enough space by the Afghan players to operate smoothly.
Moreover, Chhetri could not fall back often enough to combine with Colaco. However, Jeakson occasionally played a one-two with Akash Mishra as the latter sent in a few crosses.
Manvir also improved after an indifferent start and managed to deliver some effective crosses into the box. One of his grounded crosses went to Jeakson but the latter could not control the ball.
On another occasion, Chhetri met a cross with consummate control inside the box, but could not beat the Afghan defenders who kept dealing with aerial balls superbly. The Blue Tigers earned nine corners in the first half but could not score from any of them.
#3 India eked out dramatic win despite getting defensive
India started the second half in a more sedate fashion, with Afghanistan appearing to be the more aggressive team. Chhetri got a wonderful chance to put his team ahead when he got the ball from Manvir. However, the 37-year-old striker could not keep his header on target.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, kept putting pressure on the Indian defense with regular attacks as Igor Stimac replaced Colaco with Brandon Fernandes, somewhat surprisingly. Colcao’s exit meant that the Blue Tigers had less possession in the opposition half and Afghanistan took advantage of that. Omran Haydary had a great chance to score the opening goal, but his header from Omid Popalzay’s cross was off target.
The Blue Tigers relied more on counter-attacks in the second half, as Afghanistan attacked more frequently. However, it also meant that Aashique got more space to run at the opposition defense and the 24-year-old forward made great use of it. It was from one of his runs that the Blue Tigers got a free-kick outside the Afghanistan penalty box and Chhetri scored with a wonderful set-piece.
However, Afghanistan responded well and succeeded in equalizing through a corner. Amiri yet again used the aerial supremacy that the visitors had on Saturday by heading in from the corner. The Blue Tigers responded with a double substitution with Samad and Udanta Singh replacing Chhetri and Manvir.
The Blue Tigers then launched yet another attack and Aashique’s pass found Samad inside the opposition penalty box. The 25-year-old midfielder scored with a brilliant grounder from the edge of the box. It was a great finish and ensured a memorable victory for the home team.
