Indian football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu makes a save during the FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Qatar in Doha.Get highlights and analysis of the Qatar vs India FIFA World Cup qualifier match below
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu played like a man possessed under the bar while the rest of the Indian football team players showed tremendous resilience and fighting spirit, holding Asian Champions Qatar to a 0-0 draw in their FIFA World Cup qualifier match at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on September 10. The away draw has got things back in control for Igor Stimac´s men, who began their campaign with a loss against Oman in their Group E opener last week. (Get highlights and analysis of the Qatar vs India FIFA World Cup qualifier match below).
Hello Hello! Welcome to Thrilling Tuesday, or tentative Tuesday, or Terrible Tuesday. On the other hand, this could also be Terrific Tuesday. But enough of the alliterations. We are diving straight in. And first up we have some bad news, with the team sheet.
The line-ups are out ??#QATIND ⚔ #WCQ ?? #BackTheBlue ? #BlueTigers ? #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/4iUe6ndti9
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 10, 2019
That’s right. Rub your eyes as hard as you want, that sheet isn’t gonna change. Sunil Chhetri doesn’t make the squad. Reports suggest he is running a fever and despite travelling has been left off the bench. But that isn’t the only change today. Igor Stimac has changed a man in every department. Mandar Rao Desai, Sahal Abdul Samad, Nikhil Poojary and Manvir Singh get a start.
Ashique Kuruniyan gathered a lot of plaudits for his superb performance against Oman in Guwahati, but he has a place on the bench today. Whether this is a fitness call or a tactical call, no one can say.
On form, Qatar haven’t been very good by the way. They have conceded seven goals in their past five games and scored eight -- six of which came in their qualifying opener against Afghanistan. They have won just one of their last five games too. But -- and here’s the rub -- look at who they’ve played in this duration. Their losses have been to, ahem, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. They held Paraguay to a draw at the Copa America.
There is no point kidding ourselves. Today will be a tough night. If India get a point from this encounter, it is a must that everyone typing, reading, clicking on, or otherwise interacting with this blog turn up at the airport to receive them, garlands, vuvuzelas, banners and ladoos in hand. It will be a serious achievement. So…. get those ladoos organised.
The TV crew tell us Indian fans have been given a mere 8% of the tickets for the game.
The teams are lined up in the tunnel, India in their blue with orange tiger scratches and Qatar in their solid flat maroon. Oh, they walk out now. I’m not sure where the 8% Indians are seated. Have they been separated into bunches of three?
A giant Qatar flag -- no dutb stitched in the subcontinent is raised through the stands as the Qatari national anthem blares out.
The Qatar fans have thrown bits of paper on to the pitch. Maybe this is in lieu of the fact that their goalkeeper may get a bit bored and require some reading material? What’s going on there?
Apparently (words of commentators), the manja pada, the fan group of Kerala Blasters FC are present in numbers in the stadium. Who said, Malayali crowd is full of Blasters fans, though!
Oh wait. The Indian fans are bouncing. They maybe 8% but they are bouncing! And they are in yellow. They are the Manjappada.
1’ And we kick off! Udanta concedes a foul immediately. Qatar have the ball. They play it up, and Adil clears a speculative through ball.
3’ Nothing much to report so far. Qatar have the ball, India are chasing. Adila nd Sandesh have already seen more of the ball than their strikers or midfielders.
4’ Now, without meaning to jinx this or sound petty… we have already done better than Afghanistan. No goal conceded yet.
5’ They maybe 8% in number, but I can clearly hear a chant of INDIAAAAAA, INDIAAAA go out, in the broadcast. Are my ears ringing? Love these Manjappada fans. Creating a din in the lion’s den.
7’ While all that cheering is happening, Sahal does some of his magical stuff. After a flurry of exchanges by Qatar, India launch a counter, Udanta brings down an aerial ball perfectly and drops it to Manvir who lays it forward to Nikhil Poojary. Poojary is eased off it by the Qatari defender. No cigar.
8’ India are doing well to hold up play and try and keep the ball, but Qatar have already had a few shots at goal. Mostly speculative and straightforward.
9’ Gurpreet misses a save. It was supposed to have been made, it was at his near post. The Qatar captain Hassan Al-Haydos collects the ball on the left of the box, drives in and whips a shot. Qatar corner.
11’ The corner is curled into the far post, Gurpreet misses it, but so does everyone else. Phew.
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