India settle for a point after disappointing display against Afghanistan | FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers
The Indian men’s football team played out a goalless draw against Afghanistan on Friday, March 22, at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Saudi Arabia. It was a lackluster performance from the Blue Tigers, who struggled to create clear-cut chances against a resilient Afghanistan side.
In the build-up to the game, India had to deal with the absence of Sahal Abdul Samad and Sandesh Jhingan, who was sidelined due to a knee injury sustained during the Asian Cup. However, the Afghan team encountered even more challenges, with several key members boycotting the two games, citing mismanagement of funds within the board as the reason.
The game began in a physical fashion, and it was India who started on the front-foot, delivering a couple of dangerous crosses into the penalty box within the first five minutes. However, chances were few and far between the sides in the opening quarter of the game.
The Lions of Khorasan were formidable at the back, making it challenging for India to penetrate through the middle, while posing a threat on the counter-attack. They also had the first significant chance of the game around the half-hour mark when Mosawer Ahadi’s effort tested Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
While Afghanistan defended resolutely, it’s also worth noting that the Blue Tigers, despite dominating possession statistics, struggled in the final third. Their passes lacked precision, and it appeared they were still adjusting to the conditions and the pitch.
India certainly took some time to find their rhythm in the game, but they began creating opportunities towards the end of the half. Sunil Chhetri had a shot on goal, while Manvir Singh also came close to scoring from a Nikhil Poojary delivery. However, at the halftime whistle, the Afghans would have been the happier side, having successfully restricted India while also posing a few problems in attack.
India fail to break Afghanistan’s resolute defense; settle for a draw
India began strongly in the second half, with Vikram Pratap Singh given an opportunity to exploit space behind the Afghanistan defense just two minutes after the restart. However, his control in the final third once again let him down, resulting in the ball running out of play.
Around the hour mark, the Afghans had a massive opportunity to unsettle the Indian supporters in the stadium when they came close to scoring from a well-executed move. After a switch of play isolated Ahadi against Subhasish Bose, he found Zelfy Nazary’s run, who was clear on goal and set up Omid Popalzay, only for Rahul Bheke to make a last-ditch clearance to keep the level scores.
Igor Stimac called upon his substitutes in the hope that they could increase the intensity. The likes of Liston Colaco, Brandon Fernandes, and Naorem Mahesh Singh entered the pitch, and their presence certainly had an impact.
With Fernandes on the pitch, set-pieces posed a constant threat, and his delivery nearly led to India’s opening goal with ten minutes of regulation time left. Bose, who rose highest and was unmarked, miscued his header from close range, much to the disbelief of the crowd.
In the end, the Blue Tigers had to settle for a draw, as they found it difficult to create chances against the Afghans and consistently trouble the goalkeeper.
However, credit must be given to Afghanistan, as despite facing difficulties, they displayed resilience at the back and even had opportunities to snatch the game away from India. These two teams will meet once again on Tuesday, March 26, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati.