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).
So here’s a thing-when you play stronger opposition, you tend to up your game to try to match them. It doesn’t always work, but you try. What also happens is the reverse. Stronger teams sometimes get casual, complacent or just lose their drive. When teams park the bus, like India have today, this can lead to frustration and mistakes. From India’s point of view this would be ideal.
75’ Without meaning to cause offence, Qatar’s frustration is showing. Their supporters are doing the Mexican wave, but their players are getting shown a bit. After a melee in midfield Hassan shoots from outside the box. Its come through a crowd of players, and Gurpreet does well to pick it out and tip it around the post. Nothing from the corner.
In the middle of all that action, by the way India made a second sub. Vinit Rai comes on for Sahal.
78’ Qatar have their 950th corner of the game. And as Al-Haydos goes to take it, the supporters shower him with shredded paper. No doubt, they have scribbled their tips on how to break this Indian defence on them. Nothing from the corner.
79’ Qatar have a chance. But Alaeldin times his jump wrong, and heads over from a cross from the right.
80’ Al-Haydos makes an hash of a chance. He had all the time to curl it into the corner having been played into a great position in the box. He plays it into Gurpreet grateful hands though.
TEN MINUTES TO GO!!! IS THIS HAPPENING? THIS IS HAPPENING!
82’ AAAAAAAAARGH! Udanta and Thapa do some brilliant hold up play, that somehow creates space and an opportunity for Udanta to score. Thapa reverses it back to the Manipuri boy, who takes a touch, looks up, has a bite of his protein bar, shifts to his left foot and then curls it over the bar.
84’ Anything less than a point now would be heartbreak. It would be harsh. It would also be typical.
85’ Because this action is becoming unbearable, we are now going to stop talking about the match on this live blog and instead discuss something else.
In the moment we typed that out, Abdelkarim Hassan has a pop from outside the box, Gurpreet saves it, and the rebound falls to Ismail who hits it against the bar. From that rebound Almoez heads wide. The referee blows for offside, but you can understand that no one knew this while it was happening.
How about this? How many mallus in the Manjappada will have their job visas by tomorrow if India end up getting a point?
Then again, India are playing in a stadium Indian built. So a home game eh!
87’ That is some seriously calm Indian defending in a really tricky situation there. They could’ve easily panicked and cleared it, hoofed it or even messed it up. They didn’t. They held the ball and played it out. Bheke, Rowllin, Vinit Rai at the centre of it all.
89’ The Manjappada are screaming now. The chants are raining. Xavi looks nonplussed. Or does he look a little startled? Or is he disappointed? Only Xavi knows.
90’ We are in the final minute of play. Abdelkarim Hassan delivers a dangerous cross into the box, but Gurpreet gathers.
At this level you would have to assume that the Indin defence is trying to catch the Qatari’s offside. So far, and we are in the last minutes of the game, they’ve done a pretty solid job of it. The shape hasn’t always been perfect but when it hasn’t Gurpreet has been well up for the task. Four minutes added on. Can they hold on?
90’ + 1’ Udanta races clear, and he is in the box, but bassam Alrawi slides in and clears. That was a delicately timed tackle. A few seconds either way and India would’ve had a penalty. India are holding on and Stimac brings on his final substitution. Narender Gehlot comes on, Thapa goes off.
90’ + 2’ I’ve lost feeling in my fingers. Al-Haydos crosses, Gurpreet gathers. Stay down Gurpreet, stay down.
90’ + 4’ Not now. C’mon. Not this late. Alrawi has a pop from distance. It goes wide.
IT IS FULL TIME!!!!! AND YOU WON”T BELIEVE THIS BUT INDIA HAVE NICKED A POINT AGAINST THE ASIAN CHAMPIONS!!!!
Gurpreet is thumping his chest. Sandesh is on the floor. Adil is pumping his arms. Stimac runs onto the pitch and hugs his players. This is massive. What this does ofcourse is keep Siddhanth Aney’s prediction from the first four round of fixtures intact. He predicted seven points. If India get the wins against Afghanistan and Bangladesh they will have it.
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