A much better second-half from India as substitutes Soosairaj and Amarjit did bring considerable amount of quality in the middle of the park resulting in numerous half-chances which went abegging courtesy poor finishing from Udanta Singh and Sunil Chhetri. A good end to the game after a very disappointing first half.
India will now wait for the result of the Thailand vs Vietnam game to determine their opponents for the third-place match of the Kings Cup.
This was your host, Sayak, signing-off for today. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for further coverage of the game. Thank You!
79' Off the post! Soosairaj with a touch of class, plays Chhetri on, but he fails to manage his touch and chests it straight on to the post. So near yet so far.
56' Swung-in ball from the right for Curacao, Sandhu comes-off his line but fails to get to the ball. Quincy Hooi gets at the end of it, but his touch is not on the sweet spot, the balls rolls out luckily for India, to a goal-kick.
52' CHANCE! Brilliant play from Udanta on the right, gets the better of his marker, but his ball is slightly way-ward off Chhetri's position and the chance goes abegging.
Substitutions for India at Half time. Amarjit Singh Kiyam, makes his National Team debut, replaces Pranoy Haldar. Raynier Fernandes also makes his National Team debut, replaces Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Curacao have been a lot better side with a lot of moves across the pitch, clinical passing and quick movement. The Indian team has been of no match to the strong and pacey Curacao side. However, Stimac can bring on some changes in the second-half which may just swing the game into India's favour. Second-half up next. Stay Tuned to Sportskeeda.
43' SHOT! Chhetri plays Sahad, who sets up Udanta inside the box, Udanta goes for goal in the near post but his shot is saved. Good move there. The ball would have ended up in the back of the net, if Udanta would have gone for second post.
39' Curacao making quick moves down both the wings, stretching the Indian defence in regular intervals, however the Indian back-four are just able to clear the looming danger every time. May not be long before Curacao score again.
33' GOAL! Yet another lapse at the back for India, acres of space between the defenders, allowing Curacao to score yet another from inside the box with no pressure what-so-ever from Jhingan and co.
17' GOAAAAAAL! Quincy Hooi scores for Curacao. A defense-splitting ball from the middle of the park gets the better of the Indian back-four courtesy lack of communication which allows Quincy Hooi to beat the offside trap, round-up Gurpreet Sandu and slots it home, in an empty goal.
7' First good move from India. Brandon Fernandes picks Sahal Abdul Samad perfectly with a lobbed ball. who manages to take a shot across the face of the goal, no white shirt at the end of it to slot it home.
4' Curacao steady in their approach. They are playing a lot of passes among themselves to get into the Indian box but the Indian defence is composed enough to see-off the danger.
Curacao XI : Eloy Victor (GK), Jean-Carlo, Darryl Lachman, Alexander Carolina, Mateo, Luis Bonevacia. Johan Bacuna, Magno Nepomuceno, Juan Gaari, Quincy Hooi, Miguel Arias Substitutes : Emigdio Martina, Roberto Antonia, David Carmelia, Adonnnis Kastaneer, Efraim Martina, Ronald van Kessel, Maria Constansia, Jimmy Vapor, Daryl Statie, Emmanuel Peter, Zeus de la Paz
The first ever Indian National Team Line-up under Igor Stimac is out! India XI : Sandhu, Kotal, Bheke, Jhingan, Bose, Sahal, Pranoy, Udanta, Brandon, Chhangte, Chhetri (C)
Hello and Welcome to Sportskeeda's LIVE Coverage of the Kings Cup opening tie between India and Curacao. India will look for a fresh start to a new journey under Head Coach Igor Stimac and Technical Director Doru Isac. India have been training for quite some time in the National Capital before arriving in Thailand and will be hoping to pull off yet another surprise package after their heroics in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in UAE, last winter.
Several new faces like Adil Khan, Kamaljit Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Amarjit Singh, Michael Soosairaj have been named in the Squad as Igor Stimac looks to restructure the Indian Football roster from scratch. However, notable good performers like Jobby Justin, Laldanmawia Ralte, Nishu Kumar, Neeraj Singh, Chullova Pautu have missed the flight to Thailand.
Curacao are a versatile side with most of their players plying their trades in Europe and North America. A former, Dutch colony, is ranked way above India in the FIFA Rankings and can prove to be a tough nut to crack for the Sunil Chhetri led side. The game is pegged to be a toughly contested affair with both teams good enough to emerge victorious.
The game will be LIVE on Star Sports 3, hotstar at 2 PM IST in India. The local kick-off time is 3.30 PM and the game will be LIVE on Thairath TV in Thailand. The Match Venue is the infamous Chang Arena Stadium in Buriram, Thailand. All the LIVE updates will be brought to you by Sportskeeda in the Live Blog. Stay Tuned!
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