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The Indian men’s national team will have the opportunity to clinch the Hero Tri-Nation tournament when they face the Kyrgyz Republic on Tuesday, March 28, at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.
The Blue Tigers are on the back of an impressive victory against a resilient Myanmar side. After missing several golden opportunities in front of goal, Anirudh Thapa found the back of the net towards the end of the first half.
They began the second half with the same intensity, and despite Myanmar’s attempts to bounce back, the game ended 1-0 in India’s favor.
Igor Stimac would have been delighted with the performance and will hope that his side can deliver a similar result on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz Republic, who are ranked 12 places above India in the FIFA rankings, managed to secure a point against Myanmar in their opening encounter. Myanmar opened the scoring in the 82nd minute, but the White Falcons found an equalizer in stoppage time.
The Khuman Lampak Stadium was electric in the first game and fans will certainly be right behind the Blue Tigers in the penultimate game of the tournament.
India vs Kyrgyz Republic: Starting XIs for the Hero Tri-Nation tournament clash
Igor Stimac has made several changes to the lineup that secured a 1-0 victory over Myanmar. After resting the players who starred in the ISL final between Bengaluru FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, the Croatian head coach has named the likes of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal in the starting lineup.
India lineup: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Sunil Chhetri (C).
Kyrgyz Republic lineup: Tokotaev Erzhan (GK), Kozubaev Tamirlan, Aleksandr Mishchenko, Akmatov Aizar, Uulu Kairat, Sagynbaev Bekzhan (C), Uzdenov Magamed, Alykulov Gulzhigit, Shukurov Alimardon, Atabaev Erbol, Batytkanov Ernist.
India vs Kyrgyz Republic: Quotes from the coaches
India head coach Igor Stimac:
"We will go all out to win. We have a full house with our supporters and a chance to prove ourselves. It will also be a much stronger team than the first game."
Kyrgyz Republic head coach Aleksandr Krestinin:
"We reviewed the game (against Myanmar). A lot of things didn’t go as planned. We have also analyzed India’s matches and will look to correct our previous mistakes tomorrow.”
