Indian football’s hope balloon bursts after loss to Lebanon

Alas, the last four days have shown that despite making progress, India still have some way to go before they can hope for a miracle at the continental championship.

After a gritty fight against Iraq, which ended in a 2-2 draw before losing on penalties, India on Sunday lost to Lebanon, a team they had not lost to in the last three encounters, which took place on home soil.

The 1-0 defeat was, in a way, in continuation of the trend that the previous matches followed. India controlled the match in patches, the players linked up well with each other in the midfield and the defence looked stubborn as ever. But the team lacked quality in the attacking third.

It was the same story in two out of the three matches India played against Lebanon earlier this year. In both those games – the group stage of the Intercontinental Cup and South Asian Championship semifinal – India could not find the back of the net.

The defence saved their day back then, but it wasn’t to be the case in the King’s Cup on Sunday after Kaseem Al Zein scored the winning goal in the 77th minute at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

What would hurt Stimac and the players was that the goal came somewhat against the run of play. India were enjoying a nice spell of possession, with Lallianzuala Chhangte making his trademark runs on the right to get behind the Lebanese defence.

Just then, Lebanon won a corner kick and the in-swinger created panic inside the Indian box. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu palmed away the cross but it went only as far as Al Zein, whose acrobatic volley from a close range gave Sandhu no time to react.

India pressed forward in search for an equaliser but they lacked precision in the attacking third. And so, the bronze medal winners of the 2019 edition of the tournament ended their Thailand tour without a win.

The result will also raise questions about India’s goal-scoring ability – consistently, match after match – in the absence of Sunil Chhetri, who did not travel to Thailand because of personal reasons.

Almost every player in the attacking line had their share of chances but they kept on faltering. Manvir Singh and Chhangte dashed from both flanks to regularly keep the Lebanon goalkeeper on his toes. But they lacked the finishing touch, with the ball either flying over the bar or wide of the target.

Stimac tried to turn things around in the second half by making five substitutions. But neither Brandon Fernandes nor Rahul KP could add heft to the attack.

In the last 10 minutes, India camped themselves in the Lebanon area, hoping for the equaliser. But credit to Lebanon, as they not only held on to their lead grimly but made sure India hardly got a clear view of their goal.

India win U-16 SAFF title

India’s U-16 team were crowned South Asian champions after they defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in the final in Thimpu on Sunday. Bharat Lairenjam found the net in the first half, while Levis Zangminlun sealed the victory with a second-half goal, ensuring a comfortable win for India.

🇮🇳💙🇮🇳 INDIA INDIA 🇮🇳💙🇮🇳#INDBAN ⚔️ #U16SAFF2023 🏆 #BlueColts 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/rflgWmgn7G

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 10, 2023

Coached by Ishfaq Ahmed, India colts played free-flowing, attacking football as they defeated Bangladesh and Nepal by identical 1-0 margins in the group stage. In the semifinals, they routed Maldives 8-0 before beating Bangladesh in the final on Sunday.