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With three straight defeats, and without a single goal to show for in six halves of football, the Indian men's national team were shown the exit door in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 by an inspired Syrian outfit on Tuesday, January 23.
The Qasioun Eagles, after creating a plethora of chances throughout the night, went ahead through a strike from Omar Khirbin in the second half and never looked back from thereon.
With nothing to lose and an elusive carrot of Round of 16 qualification dangling in front of them, Igor Stimac opted for an attacking 4-4-2 with Apuia and Deepak Tangri starting out in the center of the park. The Hector Cuper-led side too fielded a similar setup with Ibrahim Hesar and Pablo Sabbag leading the frontline.
A little too eager, Rahul Bheke went into the referee's book moments after the first whistle. However, India's ambitiousness oozed right away, as Naorem Mahesh, with his trickery, created room for himself for a shot from inside the opposition box. Aimed at the first post, the East Bengal winger's effort forced a save out of Ahmad Madanieh.
Syria, who had well-established their intentions to attack through aerial balls and set pieces, carved out an opportunity of their own in the seventh minute. A corner delivery from the right was met with a towering header from Sabbag, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was able to thwart the danger.
As the minutes rolled by, it became growingly evident that Stimac had opted for a hard-headed trade-off. Rather than prioritizing defensive stability, the Blue Tigers stretched the game and tried to open it up.
Expectedly, Syria were able to catch India on the break on a couple of occasions, but some tidy defending from the away outfit kept the scoreline in check. The match was further spiced up in the 26th minute when Mahesh committed a cynical foul on Abdul Rahman Weiss and the latter retaliated immediately. Despite the Indian camp appealing for a red, the referee decided to dish out a yellow to both involved players.
Minutes later, Syria had a penalty appeal waived off when Deepak Tangri brought down Ammar Ramadan inside the box while lunging in for a last-ditch tackle. The match raced toward the half-time whistle with parity still restored between the two Round of 16 hopefuls.
Syria's Omar Khirbin brings India's AFC Asian Cup campaign to an end
While the intent was clear from India, the clumsiness in the midfield allowed Syria to catch them on the break far too often. Hence, the need of the hour was to stabilize the midfield duo but before Stimac could look to alter his setup, he was dealt with a major blow.
Sandesh Jhingan, who went down with a knock in the first half, wet down clutching his knee once again and was forced to be subbed off. Nikhil Poojary came on for the veteran center-back and in another surprising swap, Naorem Mahesh was replaced by Udanta Singh.
Subhasish Bose, who was now deputizing in Jhingan's role, was called into action in the 50th minute when second-half substitute Omar Khirbin found himself at the end of a delicious layoff. The Syrian forward struck the ball on the turn, but Bose pulled off a last-ditch block to save India's blushes.
Meanwhile, a hopeful cross from deep created chaos in the Syrian box when Madanieh failed to collect it and the ball fell for Chhangte. But the winger's touch forced him wide and the Syrian defenders forced a corner. Welcomed by arousing applause, Sahal Abdul Samad took center stage for the first time in the competition.
But his introduction didn't drastically alter the proceedings, as many expected to. The midfield frailties eventually caught up with the Blue Tigers and Syria broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. After Akash Mishra lost possession in the other half, a rapid passing succession left Kharbin facing Rahul Bheke inside the penalty area. The 30-year-old left the Mumbai City defender chasing shadows before plummeting the ball into the back of the net.
A few more hopeful long balls from India weren't enough to trouble the Qasioun Eagles as they ended their group-stage outings with four points from three matches, well-positioned to secure a knockout berth. Stimac's men had moments and just mere moments to show for in a tournament that was touted to unravel the next chapter in Indian football.
Meanwhile, in the other Group B encounter, Uzbekistan managed to hold Australia to a draw and secure the second position in the group.
