AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers: India face a narrow defeat to host Qatar

India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Qatar in their second Group H encounter of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.

Al Hashmi Mohialdin (18’) had put Qatar in the lead early on, before Muhammed Suhail (52’) equalised. However, a Jassem Al Sharshani (67’) penalty ensured the three points for Qatar.

Buoyed by their 2-0 victory against Bahrain in the last match, India made a quick start to the game, Suhail getting an early chance, where he shot just inches over the crossbar from outside the box in the second minute.

The hosts slowly gained control of the game; however, they looked to make inroads into the Indian third.

Qatar’s Mohamed Surag broke into the Indian box just after the quarter-hour mark, with just Indian goalkeeper Sahil to beat, but the latter made a smart save.

The hosts took the lead in the 18th minute, when Mohialdin, off a corner, headed the ball powerfully into the ground, making it loop over the heads of the Indian defence after the bounce as it went into the top corner.

An intense midfield battle ensued after Qatar took the lead, India constantly looking to find their way back in the game. They began to gain more confidence and possession as the half neared its end.

While the hosts’ centre looked solid, India looked to utilise the space on the flanks.

Parthib Gogoi’s 41st-minute cross from a dangerous area on the right could have made the Qatar defenders a little uncomfortable, but it evaded all Indian attackers.

In the first half injury time, Mohammed Sannan whipped in a cross towards Macarton Louis Nickson, but Qatar goalkeeper Ali Mohammed Ghulais plucked it out of the air.

The Blue Colts were not ready to give up, though, and came back fighting in the second half. Their efforts paid dividends when Macarton intercepted a ball in the middle and played Suhail through on the right.

While Suhail’s cross was a bit too long, it landed at Sannan’s feet on the other wing. The left winger also decided to whip it in, but this time, it was sent with pinpoint accuracy, as Suhail nodded it in at the far post to equalise.

The goal had changed the equations, and the match, much like the scoreline, was now an even affair, with both sides looking for inroads.

Chhetri, in the 63rd minute, chipped a pass to Suhail behind the lines, but the ball was a yard too ahead of the latter, as Ghulais collected it.

The complexion of the game completely changed a couple of minutes later, when India defender Pramveer brought down Noureldin Ibrahim inside the box, as the referee pointed to the spot.

A Controversial Penalty Decision led Qatar to a Win

Pramveer had picked up his second yellow card of the match, and India were down to 10 men. Qatar captain Al Sharshani stepped up and converted the penalty despite Sahil guessing correctly to put the hosts back in the lead.

With more spaces to exploit, Qatar was constantly looking to secure the three points with a third goal. Nabil Irfan took a crack at the Indian goal after a bit of interplay between the Qatar attackers, but the Indian defenders, not ready to give in yet, blocked it.

Abdulaziz Hasan was laid off by substitute Marwan Brimil just inside the penalty box. However, Sahil produced an acrobatic save to keep the latter out.

India had one last chance to score when they won a corner in injury time. Aimen’s corner, aimed at the far post, missed the unmarked Shivaldo’s head by a small margin.

Qatar, with this win, has established firm control at the top of the Group H table, with six points from two matches. Bahrain, which had defeated Brunei Darussalam earlier in the day, moved on to three points, the same as India, but remained third due to their inferior head-to-head record against the Blue Colts.