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India beat Myanmar 1-0 in the first game of the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament in Imphal, Manipur on Wednesday (March 22).
It was the Indian national team's first game in 2023, and Igor Stimac hoped to start on a winning note.
It was Myanmar's first game under new coach Michael Feichtenbeiner and they hoped to give a good showing. It was a game for the German coach to get a better understanding of his side and make a proper assessment as to what needed to be done with the side.
India faced Myanmar, the 159-ranked team in the FIFA rankings. The Blue Tigers were ranked 106th.
On paper, it looked to be an easy game for Stimac's side but if history was anything to go by then the game promised to be a stern test for the Blue Tigers.
With the first-ever international tie being played in Manipur and that too against India's neighbor, the stakes were high for this tie.
The match started on a bright note for India as Jeakson Singh saw a header from an Anirudh Thapa free kick go just wide in the fourth minute.
Anirudh Thapa turned creator once again in the ninth minute when he found Sunil Chhetri inside the box with a brilliant cross, but his header went above the bar.
The record goalscorer for the Indian national team had a poor showing in front of goal as he missed some good chances to give the Blue Tigers the lead.
Anirudh Thapa finally gave the hosts the lead in the 45th minute when Rahul Bheke's cross was miscued by the Myanmar defense and fell straight to Anirudh Thapa who made no mistake in slotting the ball into the net from inside the box.
The scoreboard at halftime read 1-0 in favor of the hosts.
The visitors started the second half with renewed vigor. They created a few good chances but failed to score. Both sides made a couple of changes as they tried to take control of the game.
Sunil Chhetri did manage to get the ball into the back of the net in the second half but the referee disallowed the goal due to offside. Replays showed that the Indian captain was miles onside and the goal should have been allowed.
The end moments saw Stimac's side trying hard to increase their lead while the visitors were on the lookout for an equalizer.
The scoreboard at full-time read 1-0 in favor of the hosts
The match ended with India securing a victory in the opening game of the Tri-Nation tournament.
On that note, let's take a look at three things we learned from today's game.
#3 Age seems to have caught up with Sunil Chhetri
Sunil Chhetri has been the flagbearer for Indian football for more than a decade and is the nation's highest goalscorer in international games. More often than not, it has been Chhetri who has rescued the national team during difficult situations.
Today, though, the skipper didn't have a good game according to his standards. He missed more than a couple of good clear-cut goal-scoring chances in the first half.
His link-up play looked below par. He also looked tired at times and his movements weren't great.
The Blue Tigers need to find the answer to the question of if not Chhetri, then who soon or it would be disastrous for the national side.
#2 Igor Stimac has work to do with the national team
Igor Stimac will be happy to start the international calendar in 2023 with a victory. India were expected to win the game today and they managed to achieve that by a slim margin. Had some referee decisions been correct, the margin of victory would have been bigger.
Igor, though, will have to work on his side as Myanmar were a lower-ranked side. His side did look a bit out of shape and confused during the game as they found it difficult to break down the Myanmar defense.
While Igor has emphasized on his preference of letting players express themselves on the pitch, he does need to work on a style of play that can help the team achieve success against much better opponents. Igor did hand out debututes to three players today: Mehtab Singh, Mahesh Singh and Ritwik Das.
The next match against the Kyrgyz Republic (ranked 94th) will be a litmus test for Igor Stimac as they are a higher-ranked side compared to the hosts.
#1 Anirudh Thapa is the man of the match for India
Anirudh Thapa hasn't had the best of seasons compared to his standards in the ISL this season. His Chennaiyin FC side also failed to make it to the playoffs. Thapa is an integral part of the national team, and his form is crucial to the national team's success.
Thapa today showed why he is so highly rated by everyone that have coached in India.
Be it from set pieces or open play, Thapa was the creator-in-chief for the Blue Tigers today.
It was from his passes that India created the best chances and it was also Thapa who scored the solitary goal of the game to secure the victory for the Blue Tigers.
