WCQ 2024 – India Football crumbles against Afghanistan, Nailing India’s Hope for a 3rd Round WCQ

India entered this game anticipating all three points, but they were left with nothing. India buckled under the weight of the contest as Afghanistan rallied from a 1-0 lead with two goals in the dying minutes to win 2-1 in Guwahati.

First Half:

For the majority of the first half, India appeared to be in control and missed a fantastic early opportunity. Sunil Chhetri was fed inside the Afghan box by Liston Colaco and Brandon Fernandes, two of the three players who changed from the opposite fixture (Subhasish Bose being the third). In his 150th game, the captain took a touch before smashing a shot off the post. Manvir Singh was the recipient of the ball's rebound as it skied into row from seven yards away.

Second Half:

India appeared to lose momentum and finally suffered for it after making a triple change that removed Liston, Brandon, and Chhetri all of whom were playing a terrific match. The ball was worked into the Indian box by Zelfy Nazary and Mosawer Ahadi, who combined nicely down the right. It pinballed there until Rahmat Akbari, hopefully, hammered it in. The ball took a huge deflection between Rahul Bheke's knees and landed in the bottom corner to tie the score at one. While some luck may have played a role in the goal, India's anxious defense played a major role. That was seen once more in the 89th minute as Jabar Sharza attempted to recover a long ball that had found its way into the Indian area.

Thoughts and Reactions:

That was the how the game finished, with India unable in the last few seconds to muster a coherent attack. India is currently in second place as a result, although Afghanistan has already caught up to them with four points. Their only deficiency is in GD. The outcome puts extra more strain on Stimac before their crucial June World Cup Qualifier (WCQ) in Kolkata against Kuwait. In the post-match interview, Stimac was dissatisfied with his players following the game. He bemoaned the lack of discipline and expressed confusion over their inability to deal with long balls being delivered into Afghanistan's two strikers. Additionally, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the level of effort his team shown throughout the two games against Afghanistan. However, India is still in the running to make it to the third round of World Cup Qualifier (WCQ).