Indian Football Team
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Aasif Ali
The Indian national football team have been paired alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The Blue Tigers have to finish first in their group if they want to qualify.
Ranked 161st in the FIFA rankings, the Singapore national football team hold the edge over India in terms of the head-to-head record. The Lions have won seven games, lost four times and have drawn twice over the years.
Here are the results of the last five encounters between the two nations:
On 2nd December 1984, the two nations faced each other in the AFC Asian Cup Preliminary round. Under Milovan Ciric, India had qualified for the tournament after 20 years.
Playing at the National Stadium in Singapore, they succumbed to a 2-0 loss against the hosts in their opening game. Malek Awab and Razali Saad scored the goals for the Lions to ensure a win.
The two nations were paired up in the FIFA World Cup Asia qualifying group 3. The game was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on 18th February 2024. Bhaichung Bhutia and Renedy Singh were leading the line for the Blue Tigers on that night.
Renedy Singh’s penalty in the 49th minute was the only goal of the game as they registered a 1-0 win in their opening qualifiers match. This remains the most recent win for the Blue Tigers against Singapore.
Looking to get a double over Singapore, Stephen Constantine’s Blue Tigers locked horns against their opponents on 13th October 2004 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in front of 3,600 home fans.
Indra Sahdan Daud and Khairul Amri got the goals for the Lions in the 73rd and 76th minute as India succumbed to a 2-0 loss away from home. The loss confirmed India’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2006 qualification.
The Choa Chu Kang Stadium in Singapore hosted the game between the two nations on 16th October 2012. India were playing this friendly under the management of Wim Koevermans.
Playing under the lights, the Lions dominated the game, with Khairul Amri and Fazrul Nawaz scoring either side of halftime. Singapore eventually won the game 2-0 as the Blue Tigers failed to win a single game away from home that year.
The most recent fixture between the two nations was played on 24th September 2022 at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore. Sunil Chhetri was the lone striker upfront for the Indian football team in this friendly game.
Under Igor Stimac, India pulled out a 1-1 draw with Ashique Kuruniyan scoring for the Blue Tigers in the 43rd minute. Ikhsan Fandi scored for the home side in the first half of the game.
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