India walked into this match expecting all three points, but hobble out with none. Afghanistan overcame a 0-1 deficit with two late goals to win 2-1 in Guwahati as India wilted under the pressure of the match.
India looked well on top for most of the first half, and saw a great chance spurned early on. Liston Colaco and Brandon Fernandes (two of the three changes from the reverse fixture, the third being Subhasish Bose) combined to feed Sunil Chhetri inside the Afghan box. The skipper, playing his 150th match, took a touch before lashing a shot off the post. The ball rebounded out to Manvir Singh, who skied it into row Z from seven yards out.
That was the best chance of the match, and even as Afghanistan had a good chance with Haroon Amiri forcing Gurpreet Singh into a good save, it was India who dominated possession. That finally showed on the scoreline after Manvir Singh raced into space down the right and whipped in a cross that Amiri inexplicably handled. Chhetri stepped up for the penalty and made no mistake to mark his milestone appearance with the 94th goal for his country.
Going into halftime, Igor Stimac would have been content with his charges. What unfolded in the second half, though, is another story.
After making a triple substitution that took off Liston, Brandon and Chhetri — all of whom were having a good match — India seemed to cede momentum and eventually paid for it. Zelfy Nazary and Mosawer Ahadi combined well down the right to work the ball into the Indian box, where it pinballed around before Rahmat Akbari smashed it in hopefully. Taking a massive deflection between Rahul Bheke’s legs the ball nestled in the bottom corner to make it 1-1. The goal may have had a bit of fortune attached to it, but it was aided massively by India’s nervous defending
That was highlighted once again in the 89th minute when Jabar Sharza chased a lost cause of a long ball into the Indian box. Gurpreet came charging out and clattered into him, giving away a clear penalty. Sharif Mukhammed stepped up to send Gurpreet the wrong way and the ball into the bottom corner. 2-1.
That’s how the match ended as India struggled to launch a cohesive attack in the final moments. This leaves India in second, but Afghanistan have now joined them with four points. They are only behind on GD. The result adds even more pressure on Stimac ahead of their crunch qualifier against Kuwait in Kolkata in June.
After the match, Stimac seemed unimpressed with his players in the post-match interview. He lamented the lack of control while saying he didn’t understand how they couldn’t handle long balls being played into the two strikers that Afghanistan fielded. He also said he was not happy with the intensity that his players brought to the two games against Afghanistan. India, though, still have a chance to qualify for the third round, and Stimac said “I am confident what we are gonna do in June.”
Ashley Westwood, head coach of Afghanistan, meanwhile was in a jubilant mood. He talked about the pride in his players and said that it was a deserved win. “Look at the stats, from the start we were the team trying to win.” He spoke about how tough it was for his players to train ahead of these matches, saying one of them didn’t even have a club, and that it showed “what tactical awareness and team spirit can do”
At halftime, he told his players that “there’s no way we are playing 180 minutes against India without scoring, with the attacking players we have.” And that’s how it proved at the end.
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