Igor Stimac comes out on the ground and the Indian players celebrate like it was a win. Hats-off to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for leading the team from the back. Hats off to India's resolute defense who gave no room to Qatari players. Almoez Ali, the MVP of AFC Asian Cup, couldn't prove his worth because he was cut out as an isolated figure. Here is your host Abhishek Kundu saying good night. Do follow Sportskeeda for the latest Indian football updates.
Fulltime: It has finished 0-0 here in Doha. Qatar are distraught here. Many would wonder whether they have lost the game. But no, India have drawn against the mighty Qatar and it is as good as a win.
90' India commits plenty of shirts upfront and Abdelkarim Hassan has acres of space in front of him. He drives a cross but Gurpreet read it and collects it by coming out of his line.
89' Xavi is on the ground today. He has spent four years in Qatar and must be distraught with Qatar's performance. Chants of India-India reverberating on the ground, nonetheless.
87' And, Qatar coach Felix Sanchez Bas has hands on his head. He cannot figure out how can Qatar break this resolute Indian defense. Jhingan heads a cross from the right wing this time.
85' CHANCE! How did Qatar miss this? Hatem takes a shot from distance. Gurpreet palms it but straight into the path of a Qatari player. He, however, whacks the ball straight on the underside of the bar. But, the flag is raised anyway.
83' Udanta wins the battle with Abdulkarem Hassan and India have a beautiful chance to break on the counter. But, he fails to find Brandon and gives the ball straight to a Qatari defender.
81' CHANCE! Boy, how did India miss out on taking the lead here? Manvir Singh wriggles away his marker. He gives it to Udanta Singh, who muscles with Abdulkarim Hassan to win the duel. He passes it to Anirudh Thapa, who lays it off for him again. Seeing space, Udanta takes a shot from outside the box but the shot dips a little late and India miss the lead by a whisker.
77' Qatar win another corner. The 13th of the night, I think for the Gulf nation. But, the looping header by Bassam Al Rawi is mistimed and India wins another goal kick.
76' SAVE! Qatar finally get a low long ranger on target in between a host of defenders. But, Gurpreet saves the day for India again. The scoreline is still 0-0 here in Doha.
67' And, India are seeing more of the ball in the attack now. But, they are mixing their front passes with back ones and Sandesh Jhingan wins a foul in his own half. He even gets stamped. Let's hope that is not something serious.
66' SHOT! Anirudh Thapa whips in a corner and everyone misses it. Sahal is alone with acres of space outside the box but couldn't direct his shot on target.
59' India are getting a string of passes in the opposite half. But, they need to do the same in the final third. They are developing with the attack as time progresses
56' And, India break on the counter but Sahal gets tackled from behind by Assim Madibo. He was the last man and only sees a yellow. The Indians are protesting for a red card and well, he is lucky to get away with it.
53' Great defending! India lose the ball in their own final third. Almoez Ali tries to find his teammate and he even takes a shot. But, Rahul Bheke lunges a sliding tackle to perfection to clear the ball.
52' Sahal squeezes the ball behind the defenders and finds Udanta. The Bengaluru FC winger runs at his full pace to drive a low cross but isn't angled properly for Manvir to poke it home. First meaningful chance for India.
47' Qatar has a free-kick in a dangerous area. Anirudh Thapa with a high boot gives away a clumsy free-kick. He has also hurt himself and is receiving treatment.
India has let their guard down in the second half. We saw that against Tajikistan in the Intercontinental Cup and against Oman in their home fixture of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. A crucial second half comes up in the other half of the break.
Teams to have prevented Qatar from scoring in the first half in 2019: Lebanon, South Korea, Iraq, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay. Add India to that list, boy.
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