FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
(Courtesy : AIFF media)
Keshava Verma
India lost out to Qatar in a hard-fought encounter, to see them lose their qualification spot for the third round yet again, bringing a frustrating end to their World Cup dreams.
The Blue Tigers fought bravely in the first half and after some poor misses, finally found the back of the net, courtesy of their new talisman Lallianzuala Chhangte.
In the second half, Qatar scored the equalizer bizarrely, as the ball went out of play, but neither the referee nor his linesman saw this happen and did not rule out the goal.
Just a few minutes from the 90-minute mark, Qatar scored their second to turn the game around and crush the hearts of all Indian fans.
India have once again fallen short of their potential and have let their fans down. The coach has been giving excuses for too long now and despite being entrusted so many times, the fans have been left with no results, only more and more unfulfilled promises.
Meanwhile, here are the stats from the game.
Most successful dribbles: Khalid Ali Sabah (2), Abdullah Al Yazidi (2), Hashmi Al Hussain (2), Lallianzuala Chhangte (2)
Yellow cards: Ahmed Al Rawi, Ahmed Ali Ganehi, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad.
Most shots attempted: Ahmed Al Rawi (9)
Saves by goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (5), Shehab Ellethy (1)
Top three players: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Hashmi Al Hussain
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