Two late goals from Sunil Chhetri and Sahal Abdul Samad ensured India came from a goal down to register an incredible comeback win against Afghanistan in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Kolkata on Saturday.
Their second successive win took the Blue Tigers second on their group table, level with leaders Hong Kong, but behind on goal difference. They face Hong Kong in their next game on June 14.
A point against Hong Kong will take India through to the AFC Asian Cup but the Blue Tigers should go for a win.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – Had little to do, but came up with important saves – 7
Jeakson Thounaojam – Tried to get involved but was too hasty in possession – 6.5
Sandesh Jhingan – Played through injury, incredible in the air and points should be cut for not marshalling the defence for Afghanistan’s goal – 6.5
Anwar Ali – Solid. Could be better – 7
Akash Mishra – Made decent runs to create crossing opportunities from the back – 7
Manvir Singh – Tried to have an impact but was lacking physicality – 6.5
Sunil Chhetri – Captain. Leader. Legend. Enough said. 10
Roshan Singh – Tried to be compact but gave the ball away often – 6.5
Liston Colaco – Had a few chances but wasteful – 6
Suresh Wangjam – Tried to dominate the midfield but was overrun – 6.5
Ashique Kuruniyan – Relentless throughout the game – 8.5
Substitutes:
Brandon Fernandes (56′) – Brought freshness in India’s attack – 7
Glan Martins (67′) – Did a decent job when brought on to control the midfield – 6.5
Udanta Singh (90′) – Too late to make an impact – N/A
Sahal Abdul Samad (90′) – Talk about instant impact – 10
