India vs Myanmar: Anirudh Thapa and Manipuri fans shine as Blue Tigers register a victory in the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament

The Indian men's senior team kicked off their Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory against Myanmar on Wednesday, March 22. Anirudh Thapa's lone goal in the dying moments of the first half gave the Blue Tigers a winning start at a jam-packed Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.

Having lost 16 matches in the last three years, there wasn't much expectation of retaliation from the Chinthe but the visitors definitely showed a lot of resilience under Michael Feichtenbeiner.

Their resistance, however, was broken by the home side right before the half-time whistle through Thapa.

The hosts, expectedly, started the game on the front foot with Lallianzuala Chhangte and Bipin Singh trying to pressurize their opponents down the flanks. Within the first quarter of the game, Sunil Chhetri had two heading opportunities -- one from a Bipin cross and another from a corner -- but both his attempts were high.

Minutes later, the veteran striker was once again in the thick of things as he was brought down by a Myanmar defender after he completely missed a cross from the left. But the referee decides against awarding a penalty.

Meanwhile, the Chinthe weren't just going to be rolled over by the Blue Tigers and started to create a few half-chances of their own through Than Paing. Akash Mishra, on the other end, continued his industrious work down the left wing and created another opportunity for Chhetri in the 30th minute. The 38-year-old once again scuffed his header.

But a few minutes later, a far better fell the Indian captain's way. Chhangte made a driving run down the right flank and drilled a low cross into the box. Chhetri controlled it with an elaborate touch but fired his shot right at the visiting goalkeeper.

In the 36th minute, Aung Thu tested Amrinder Singh with a brilliant long-range effort. But the Indian custodian was on his toes and dealt with the danger. More trouble followed Amrinder's way when Chhetri's defensive header from an opposition corner was directed towards his own goal, but the shot-stopper once again saved the blushes.

Ultimately, in the first minute of first-half injury time, a low cross into the box from Rahul Bheke ended up at the feet of Anirudh Thapa after a bit of a scramble. The Chennaiyin FC midfielder pelted a powerful effort right at the Myanmar goalkeeper, who was unable to keep the ball out of the net, and scored his first international goal since February 2021.

Thapa's strike meant Igor Stimac's men had a goal to show for all their dominance.

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Chances galore for India but wasteful attackers and resilient Myanmar keep the scoreline unaltered

Starting out after the break, India continued to get behind the opposition's defensive line down the flanks. But Myanmar had a glorious opportunity to equalize against the run of play in the 49th minute. Rahul Bheke's loose ball was won by Than Paing and he set up Maung Maung Lwin, who got into the box, but his effort was denied by the sharp Amrinder Singh.

However, the occasional blip didn't faze India's offensive approach as they continued to push forward through the two wingers and then Mohammed Yasir down the middle. In an approach to shake up the proceedings, Stimac brought on Suresh Singh Wangjam in place of Yasir.

Myanmar gaffer Feichtenbeiner reacted with some substitutions of his own. Fresh legs spurred up the visitors but not enough to give India a headache. Meanwhile, Naorem Mahesh Singh made his debut for the national team after his explosive ISL season in the East Bengal colors.

The Blue Tigers were all over the visitors in the final 20 minutes of the game with Sunil Chhetri coming alive once again inside the box. In the 74th minute, Anirudh Thapa received the ball deep in the opposition's half and pelted a delicious diagonal ball into the box to find Chhetri.

The talismanic forward managed to convert with his first touch but the assistant immediately raised his flag to indicate offside. However, replays showed the Indian striker was acres behind the Myanmar defender.

Roared on by the chants of "India! India!" from a capacity crowd, the Blue Tigers pounced on the Myanmar defense with their full might. But despite the positivity brought on by debutant Ritwik Kumar Das and ATKMB's Manvir Singh, India failed to secure a two-goal cushion. As the referee blew the final whistle, Stimac's men had to settle for a 1-0 victory in their first-ever match at Imphal.

Chhetri and co. will next face a tougher challenge against Kyrgyz Republic on March 28 in the final game of the Hero Tri-Nation tournament.