Dispirited stalemate with Kuwait mar Sunil Chhetri's farewell dance for India | FIFA World Cup 2026 QualifierÂ
Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac promised a carnival against Kuwait, and the players concurred too on Thursday, June 6. However, after 90 grueling minutes of football at the Salt Lake Stadium, the Blue Tigers could only conjure a 0-0 stalemate against Kuwait. It came in the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
Sunil Chhetri's last dance was meant to be historic, as the Blue Tigers were poised to enter the third round of the qualification stages for the first time in their history. Yet, what panned out was a dispirited performance, with India even failing to produce any substantial goal-mouth action. Rahim Ali's feeble attempt from an acute angle in the second half was their best shot at glory.
Right from the first whistle India lacked attacking impetus
India were playing without Sandesh Jhingan. Moreover, with Anwar Ali fresh off an injury, and Rahul Bheke operating as a makeshift center-back, the backline locked shaky initially.
Meanwhile, Kuwait looked hungry. Mohammad Abdulah outmuscled his marker in the fourth minute and was through on goal. However, Gurpreet Singh Sadhu's perfectly-timed outing and invaluable touch deflected the ball into the side netting.
The Blue Tigers sensed trouble with any early momentum from the visitors, as did the capacity crowd in the stands. Every touch, pass, and challenge elicited blistering cheers. The Igor Stimac-coached outfit steadily grew into the game. Liston Colaco, the surprise entrant in the starting lineup, almost set up Chhetri with a whipped cross from the left. But Hasan Alanezi threw his body in the path of the ball to intercept it.
For Alanezi, establishing himself as Kuwait's final frontier became a bit of a habit through the first half. He blocked another cross in the 25th minute, on this occasion delivered by Jay Gupta. After the drinks break, India controlled the tempo with greater panache, with the likes of Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad enjoying more touches. However, there was a recurring theme in every attempt: hastiness.
Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Thapa, all ended up overcooking their passes in the final third. Meanwhile, Chhetri hardly enjoyed a touch on the leather orb and was rather a shadow of his usual self. Both sides went into the half-time level on the scoreline, leaving another 45 minutes of Chhetri donning the national Blues for one final time.
More misery awaited for India in second half against Kuwait
After the half-time interval, Igor Stimac addressed two underperformers and immediately replaced them. Sahal made way for Brandon Fernandes while Thapa, who was wasteful with his passing, was subbed off for Rahim Ali.
Minutes after entering the pitch, a gilt-edge opportunity presented itself Ali's way when the forward went one-on-one with Kuwait keeper Abdulghafoor. The 24-year-old's low but timid and the opposition gloveman had no real headache.
The Blue Wave continued to chip away at the opposition's defense, conjuring threats out of thin air. With a shimmy and a faint, Yousef Alsulaiman had a crack at the goal from the edge of the box, but Gurpreet remained vigilant to parry it away.
A bit of controversy was sprinkled on the fixture in the 74th minute, when Anwar Ali misjudged a hooved pass, allowing Alsulaiman through on goal. But the Indian center-back recovered his shape and floored him with a crunching lunge. The opposition clamored for a penalty, but the referee deemed otherwise.
India was pushed into a complete shell as the minutes rolled on, and Stimac reacted by bringing on another body to attack in place of debutant Jay Gupta. Edmund Lalrindika was brought on for his first international appearance in the 83rd minute. But there was an evident lack of heart from the Indian forwards as they failed to test the opposition backline even after throwing the kitchen sink.
With the final whistle, the players in Blue sunk their heads into their palms. Meanwhile, Chhetri stood in the middle of the park, with a hint of somber consuming his chiseled visage. His farewell was a spitting image of his journey with Indian football - not what he deserved, but what he had to settle for.