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India Under-23 triumphed 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw in normal time with Kyrgyzstan Under-23. This came in their final U23 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers group E clash at the Fujairah City Stadium in Fujairah, UAE on Saturday. The match had finished 0-0. The penalty shoot-out was done to determine the second and third places in the group.
The Blue Colts finished second in their group after a 2-1 win over Oman Under-23, followed by a 0-1 loss against the hosts UAE.
Keeper Dheeraj Singh was once again the hero for Team India. He came up with triumphs in the shoot-out after a stellar performance in normal time. The Indian goalkeeper made five saves to deny the Central Asian challengers.
Rahul KP, Rohit Danu, Suresh Wangjam and Rahim Ali all scored from the spot to ensure a second place finish in the group. However, India U23 missed out on qualification for the final tournament.
On that note, let's take a look at:
India U23 Players Ratings vs Kyrgyzstan
Dheeraj Singh: 9/10
Huge performance from the FC Goa custodian once again. He gets better with every game. If his performance during the main 90 was good, he went one better in the shoot-out. India's future between the sticks looks sorted.
Asish Rai: 7/10
The right-back had a usual high-energy game. He moved high up the pitch and tried to create opportunities for the forwards to score. Missed his kick in the shoot-out but that was a small blemish on his U23 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers performance.
Deepak Tangri: 7/10
A very good performance from a centre-back who is slowly but surely becoming a modicum of consistency. He was rock solid at the heart of the defense and was instrumental in keeping the Kyrgyz attackers out.
Narendar Gahlot: 6/10
Once again, the weaker of the two centre-backs as he stumbled his way through the match. Made a couple of errors, giving the ball away far too cheaply, but was not punished for it.
Akash Mishra: 6/10
The left-back was not at his usual best yesterday as he made one too many stray passes. He tried to move up but could not link up with Rahul on his wing.
Lalengmawia: 7/10
Apuia did a good job of screening the defense and looked like a senior player in this set-up. Overall, the Mumbai City youngster has had a decent U23 AFC Asian Cup qualification campaign.
Amarjit Kiyam: 6/10
Tidy in passing and not too much else, Amarjit may have wanted to insert himself into Igor Stimac's plans. The former U17 World Cup captain linked up well with his team-mates and kept things ticking over in midfield.
Suresh Wangjam: 5/10
Energetic in midfield and a foil for Apuia and Amarjit. His forward forays, though, were less than successful and cost India momentum in attacks.
Vikram Pratap: 6/10
A busy outing from the youngster who could have done better with the chances he received. His output was good, but the final delivery was at times wayward.
Rahim Ali: 5/10
Tried to drop deeper and get attacks started but it was another sub-par night for the Chennaiyin youngster. A lot of running but very little by the way of end product.
Rahul KP: 6/10
The Kerala Blasters youngster did not receive as much help from Akash as he would have wanted but put in a decent shift nonetheless. Struck the first penalty in the shoot-out and hit the woodwork in the second half.
