In a Group A match of the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers, the Indian men’s football team faced a challenging 3-0 defeat against the formidable Qatar team at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
The visiting team’s Mustafa Meshaal opened the scoring early in the match, netting a goal in the 4th minute. Almoez Ali extended Qatar’s lead with a goal in the 47th minute, and Yusuf Abdurisag sealed the victory with a header in the 86th minute. Despite India’s valiant efforts, they were unable to match the quality produced by the Asian champions, Qatar.
This defeat has placed India in second place on the Group A points table with one win and one loss. The other match in the group saw Kuwait face Afghanistan, and the results of this game will have implications for the standings. This loss also marked the end of India’s impressive 15-match unbeaten streak on home soil.
India made five changes to their starting XI for this crucial match, with Amrinder Singh taking over the goalkeeping duties. The match began with immediate pressure on Amrinder Singh as a misdirected pass found its way to Qatar’s Almoez Ali, though the ensuing shot from Akram Afif missed the target.
Qatar managed to capitalize on India’s defensive lapses, with Mustafa Meshaal scoring their opener after multiple failed clearances by India following a corner. Despite Qatar winning several corners, they failed to convert these opportunities, and the score remained 1-0 in their favor at the end of the first half.
India found their footing as the first half progressed, with a focus on increasing the number of passes into the box to support their forwards, including captain Sunil Chhetri. Lalengmawia Ralte and Udanta Singh played key roles in the midfield, delivering consistent balls into the box. India came close to equalizing in the 42nd minute, but Anirudh Thapa’s shot went wide of the goal.
However, India’s promising end to the first half was met with disappointment at the start of the second half as Almoez Ali scored his second goal of the match, capitalizing on a rebound after Amrinder Singh saved Akram Afif’s shot.
From there, Qatar dominated the match, leaving little room for the Indian forwards to create chances. Yusuf Abdurisag’s header in the 86th minute secured Qatar’s victory.
The Indian football team will continue its qualifiers with upcoming fixtures against Afghanistan in March, followed by reverse fixtures against Kuwait and Qatar later in 2024. The top two teams from the group will advance to the third qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and secure a direct entry into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
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