Indian football team players vie for the ball with UAE players. Get highlights and analysis of the India vs UAE AFC Asian Cup 2019 match below (Pic: AIFF).
Khalfan Mubarak and Ali Mabkout scored as the UAE beat Indian football team 2-0 to climb to the top of Group A in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 on January 10. Earlier, India, after starting on the front foot, missed a few chances and lost the initiative to the UAE in Abu Dhabi. UAE went into the break with a 0-1 lead thanks to the strike from Mubarak in the 41st minute. Mabkout then sealed victory for the home team in the 88th minute. (IND vs UAE match report/analysis)
India had four or five clear chances to score, Ashique Kuruniyan, Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan either missing or failing to beat the UAE 'keeper Khalid Eisa.
Also Read | AFC Asian Cup: Harsh Lessons in the Top Flight for Indian Football Team
Earlier in the day, Thailand beat Bahrain and the results have thrown the group wide open. All three teams now have a good chance to qualify to the knockouts at the moment. UAE now have four points, India and Thailand have three each, while Bahrain are pushed down to the bottom with one point from two matches.
Get highlights and analysis of the India vs UAE AFC Asian Cup 2019 match below.
UAE score. And they do so on the counter. Anas takes his eye off the ball and Esmaeel runs through, turns and cuts the ball back to Mubarak. Mubarak takes a touch, and as he is being closed down by Thapa and Jhingan, slams it in. Gurpreet has no chance. This is game on! India will be forced out of their shell now.
43’ Chettri chance!!! UAE have been let off there. A mistake in defence left Chhetri with the ball in the box, albeit from an acute angle. You know what? He drags his shot at the far post inches wide. Inches. Madness.
For those who may not know Ishfaq Ahmed, he is a very accomplished football pro. As a player he had a very good run, turning out for the likes of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and India Under 23. He is now a licenced coach who was the assistant manager at ISL club Jamshedpur FC. He is now Technical Director at Srinagar-based Lonestar Football Club. If you follow Indian football you might have seen him doing TV on Star Sports.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu would have claimed that one as an assist for sure, had it gone in.
On second viewing, all the hard work on the UAE goal was done by Mabkout the aforementioned Zidane fane. He made the run, dragged Anas wide, turned and laid it on a plate for Mubarak. Mubarak had to do more than garnish and… well he did.
So there it is. The UAE held all the possession, did all the passing, and all the tiki taka. And then they took the lead through a long ball counter attack. Football is a really really absurd game. India aren’t out of this though. They have had several chances, two of the best have fallen to their talisman Chhetri, and despite the differing angles, on another day, with a bit of luck both would’ve gone in. Ashique has had a superb chance of his own, and it must be said UAE’s goal keeper Eisa has really covered himself in glory this half. Forget the deficit this has been India’s half. Heads up boys! Keep the faith and join us in the second half.
Jeje comes on for Narzary, who it must be said has been invisible the first half. Chhetri will drop a step deeper and Ashique and Jeje will slot up front.
Some music will do everyone good. Here it is then. Don’t drop your heads….
47’ UAE have started their intricate passing again. Ashique has dropped a bit wide to the left actually. Jeje is up front on his own.
49’ The Indians are flying into some straight up tackles now. Not all them pretty or even wholly legal. This is too early to be going mental boys. Hold it together.
Mubarak is caught by Ashique’s hand and he goes down in some pain, with his nose bloody. The referee is having a word with the players. Ashique gets a yellow after all the talk.
53' India have a freekick about 40 yards out, on the left. Thapa swings one in. Its cleared, and the ball falls to Jeje. He chests it down and tries to volley it to the top corner. That wasn’t far off.
55’ Off the underside of the bar. Amazing! Jeje wins the ball, does all the hard work, and gets the ball through to Udanta who plays a great one-two with Chhetri, before leathering one towards goal. That deep rumble you just heard is a nation groaning. Seriously.
57’ India have a freekick. And this is in a good position. Central. 30 yards out. Chhetri lines it up.
57’ It goes over. India have the UAE under pressure. They have to nick something here. And now.
60’ All of India’s success today has come from the right. Constantine pulling off Narzary is just one indicator of that fact. Udanta speed, and now Chhetri a step deeper is only going to make this more of a regularity.
61’ That is some seriously loud 'India, India’ chanting going as UAE come down the right, cross in, only to find a 6’5’ giant catch it with one hand and let loose.
Little verbal exchange between Ashique and Chhetri in the 59th minute. Chhetri telling the younger player to calm down, then realising he has been belting up and down the flank at full throttle and was just looking for a breather so gives him a thumbs up in appreciation of the effort Ashique is putting in.
Gurpreet works very hard to get his distribution right. His ability to move the ball all the way into the opposition’s third with very decent accuracy gives the team an added edge when the winning gameplan is based on the quick counters.
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