India didn’t get the beginning they have been searching for in their 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup third spherical qualifying match as they performed out a goal-less draw towards acquainted rivals Bangladesh right here on Tuesday (March 25, 2025).
Bangladesh have been barely the higher facet in the primary half with extra attacking strikes and nook kicks however with none clear-cut probabilities.
India put up a a lot better efficiency in the following 45 minutes, placing Bangladesh underneath lots of stress however the probabilities have been few and much between.
In the twelfth minute, India goalkeeper Vishal Kaith dedicated a mistake as he kicked the ball into an opposition participant. Mohammed Ridoy pounced on the deflection and despatched a left footer from an angular place into the open web however Subhasish Bose produced a goal-line clearance.
India’s finest likelihood got here in the thirty first minute however Udanta Singh’s header off a Liston Colaco cross from left didn’t beat Bangladesh goalie Mitul Marma.
In a dominant second half show for India, Bose made an audacious lengthy vary effort which beat the Bangladesh goalkeeper all the best way however missed the left nook of the web by inches in the 68th minute.
Five minutes later, Farukh Choudhary’s proper footer went simply large after a deflection from a Bangladeshi defender.
The 84th minute noticed star striker Sunil Chhetri getting a free header contained in the Bangladesh field however his effort lacked path and energy.
Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury, who’s presently taking part in for Sheffield United on mortgage from English Premier League facet Leicester City, couldn’t do a lot for many a part of the match.
India had come into the match after a 3-0 thrashing of Maldives on March 19 in a world pleasant to mark talismanic striker Chhetri’s return to nationwide colors and Manolo Marquez’s first win as head coach.
Marquez made 5 modifications from the workforce that vanquished Maldives, bringing in Boris Singh Thangjam, Udanta Singh Kumam, Lalengmawia Ralte, Sandesh Jhingan and Farukh Choudhary.
He additionally handed over the captain’s armband to Jhingan and regarded like he had his plans firmly in place on a slippery pitch of the luxurious inexperienced Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Yet, Bangladesh had a possibility to seize the lead inside a number of seconds of the beginning when Kaith’s unsteady clearance landed straight to Mojibor Jony. To the aid of the Indians, the Bangladesh midfielder’s shot crashed towards the facet web.
The subsequent foray additionally got here from Bangladesh. Mohd. Shakil Topu danced down the precise and crossed in the goalmouth for Mohd Shariar Emon to take a header that sailed over the bar. In the primary quarter-hour, the guests tormented the Blue Tigers’ defence with vigour and power.
After surviving the storm, India slowly settled right down to take cost of issues and make inroads in the rival defence with encouraging domination in the midfield, and created a number of optimistic probabilities later in the primary half after which in massive stretches of the following 45 minutes.
The two sides face one another once more on November 18 in Bangladesh.
India’s subsequent qualifying spherical match, although, will likely be towards Hong Kong on June 10 in Kowloon.
India are positioned in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third spherical together with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and solely the highest workforce after six dwelling and away matches qualifies for the continental showpiece.
Published – March 26, 2025 03:02 am IST
