Xtra Time Web Desk: A 10 men India put up a brave fight as they went down 0-1 to Asian Champions Qatar in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 preliminary joint round 2 qualification at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Thursday. Abdel Aziz Hatim scored the solitary goal for the hosts in the 33rd minute of the match. This was the third defeat for the Blue Tigers in their Group E fixtures.
There was a high expectation for Sunil Chhetri and his boys despite the lack of preparedness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time the two teams met in September 2019, India managed to hold the Asian champions to a goalless draw.
Qatar was dominant right from the start as they looked to take control of the midfield. Rahul Bheke was flashed the first yellow card of the match in the 8th minute for his tackle on rival captain Hassal Al Haydos. 10 minutes later, the impact was larger as Bheke was given marching orders after receiving his second yellow card of the match for a handball offence. It was always going to be a daunting task when you are down to 10 men against a tough opponent like Qatar.
India had their first real chance in the 29th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan managed to slip past his marker and essayed it behind the defensive line for an onrushing Manvir. But the ATK Mohun Bagan striker failed to capitalize. Five minutes later, Qatar surged into the lead. Abdelkarim found Almoez Ali inside the box, who turned and laid it off for Abdel Aziz. The jungle of legs didn’t allow the latter to have a clear shot on goal, but he being allowed the luxury of that that extra split second, Abdel Aziz managed to send it past Gurpreet. Both sides went into the breather with Qatar leading 1-0.
Igor Stimac made a surprising change in the second half by replacing Sunil Chhetri with Udanta Singh. And almost immediately after, Gurpreet had to be at his best to thwart Abdel Karim from point-blank range. Gurpreet was once again the standout performer for the Indian team as he saved as many as 9 attempts by Qatar.
As it stands now, India now have only 3 points from six matches in Group E while Qatar leads the table with 19 points from 7 games followed by Oman who are on 12 points from 5 games. Igor Stimac’s men will take on Bangladesh and Afghanistan on June 7 and 15, respectively, at the same venue.