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India played hosts UAE in the AFC U-23 Asian Championship 2022 qualifiers in Fujairah on Wednesday. The Indian youngsters won their first game of the qualifiers against Oman while UAE suffered a defeat against Kyrgyzstan.
UAE were the favorites for this game, but India came into the game in high spirits after defeating Oman in the first game.
Lalengmawia (Apuia) started the game today after missing the first game due to an injury.
India started the game on a positive note
India started the game well and played good football in the first half. The midfield and attackers looked to trouble UAE, and they had a calm, composed nature in their game.
They seemed comfortable on the ball, making good use of it while they had possession. Suresh and Apuia provided some excellent passes from midfield, while Vikram Pratap Singh's runs were a menace for the UAE defense.
Rahim Ali and Rahul KP had a few chances to score, but they failed to utilize the opportunities properly.
The scoreboard at halftime read 0-0.
UAE started the second half, showing more attacking intent compared to the first half. At the same time, India kept playing calm, composed football and tried to work their way through the UAE defense.
Igor Stimac substituted Vikram in the 63rd minute and brought on Sumit Rathi. The defensive move changed the course of the game as India went into a shell, giving the UAE more opportunities to attack.
With Apuia being substituted in the 76th minute, India slowly started losing the midfield control that it had during the game's first hour. Meanwhile, India's goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh made some good saves to keep the scores level until the 82nd minute.
In the 82nd minute, Indian captain Suresh Singh, committed a foul inside the box, which resulted in UAE being awarded a penalty.
Abdulla Idrees Alhammadi made no mistake from the penalty spot, giving UAE the lead in the 82nd minute. With time on their side and having taken the lead, the hosts looked a much more confident unit as they tried to score a second goal.
India looked a bit out of ideas in the game's dying embers as they looked to find an equalizer that just refused to come their way..
Igor Stimac introduced Aniket Jadhav and Rohit Dhanu in the 88th minute in place of Suresh Singh and Rahim Ali, but the changes didn't have any impact on the game.
The scoreboard at full-time read 1-0 in favor of the hosts UAE.
All four teams tied on three points
With Oman defeating Kyrgyzstan and UAE defeating India, all the teams in the group are tied on three points, making the final round of games crucial for qualification.
India faces Kyrgyzstan in the next game on Saturday, and it is a must-win game if India are to qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship 2022 in Uzbekistan.
