India vs Cambodia Asian Cup Highlights: Sunil Chhetri nets a brace, IND 2-0 CAM

5 minutes of regulation time left. Shades of fatigue creeping in. However, India maintain their lead comfortably against Cambodia! Meanwhile, Samad unleashes a fine shot from his right foot but it sails over the bar. IND 2-0 CAM

Samad takes the free-kick shot from a distance, shoots, the ball lands up with Glan, he goes in for a header but off the target! Just 10 mins to go and now its about seeing it off safely. IND 2-0 CAM

Indian Captain and legend Sunil Chhetri at 82 goals is now two short of equalizing with the Hungarian Football Legend and one of the greats of the game - Ferenc Puskás with 84 goals.

15 minutes left for the regulation time and no shot on target so far for Cambodia! India continue to lead. Meanwhile, Both teams make changes. Pritam Kotal IN, Roshan Singh OUT |||  Sin IN, Chanpolin OUT ! IND 2-0 CAM

Sunil Chhetri is being replaced and he is making way for Aashique Kuruniyan. Martins replaces the creator Brandon. IND 2-0 CAM

Sunil Chhetri nets a brace from Brandon’s cross from the right. 82nd goal for Chhetri. That makes it 2 goals this match so far-- the first goal fcomes from a penalty kick and the second goal with a beautiful header. IND 2-0 CAM

Roshan with a left-footer attempt on goal from the right flank, but not enough power on the shot and is deflected by Cambodian defender.  IND 1-0 CAM

Two changes made by Igor Stimac at the start of the second half --

IN: Sahal, Udanta

OUT: Thapa, Manvir

What changes does India need to make to swing the second half in their favour? 

Free kick for Cambodia from just outside of the box. Gurpreet saves and referee blows the whistle. And it's half time. Sunil Chhetri's goal from the penalty spot gives India a lead at halftime! IND 1-0 CAM

Akash Mishra cuts in and takes a powerful shot with the right foot but it is saved by the Cambodian goalkeeper. But nothing results from it. IND 1-0 CAM

Brandon again goes in for a shot to double the lead from Liston’s low cross inside the box, but unable to find the target. IND 1-0 CAM

Sunil Chhetri follows Sandesh Jhingan in the referees book. Too high a boot there from the Indian captain. IND 1-0 CAM

CHANCE FOR INDIA! Roshan comes in with a whip from the right flank and it lands on the foot of Chhetri. Will he convert? Noooo... The header flies over! Meanwhile, Brandon tries to find Liston but a defender intercepts the ball.  IND 1-0 CAM

Sunil Chhetri is now the 6th highest all-time goal scorer.

PENALTY TO INDIA! Liston Colaco with an incisive run but he is tripped by the Cambodian defender. Who else but Chhetri steps up for the spot kick! Goooooooooaal ! SUNIL CHHETRI SCORES ! IND 1-0 CAM

Brandon  pulls the trigger from the left flank from a distance, shoots but straight into Soeuy's hands.

Cambodia tries to attack with the ball and a through pass but Brandon is there to defend, finds Kimhuy.

Sandesh Jhingan goes in the referee's book early in the game, gets a yellow for a late challenge.

Fans have their game spot on and a beautiful tribute to one of India's greats -- Chuni Goswami

India vs Cambodia AFC Asian Cup qualifier is underway live at the Salt Lake Stadium. How will the Blue Tigers fare tonight? Let's find out! HERE WE GO!

<script

Fans are also expressing their unhappiness. 'what's wrong with management at the stadium they said national anthem of Cambodia twice and didn't able to play even after 5 min,' writes Sagar on social media. Meanwhile, Keisuke Honde in attendance.

Kickoff delayed! So the Salt Lake stadium did not play the Cambodian national anthem even after the announcement. Chhetri being the leader, the person rather is apologizing.

Indian men’s football team face Cambodia in the opening match of the third round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.

Souey Visal vs Sunil Chhetri
Keo Sokpheng vs Sandesh Jhingan
Sos Suhana vs Brandon Ferandes

India: WWLLL- India have lost their last three matches heading into the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers but all of those defeats came against higher-ranked opposition. 

Cambodia: WLWLL - Cambodia have won two out of its last five matches and lost three matches in the group stages of the AFF Championship in 2021. Their last win came against Timor-Leste in an international friendly.

In the last four meetings, India came on top in three while Cambodia managed to win one. This will be the fifth time when India will be facing Cambodia. The last time India faced the Southeast Asian nation was in 2017 in an international friendly at the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The scoreline read 3-2 in favour of the Blue Tigers.

Strong home support guarantees an electric atmosphere. But it doesn’t ensure success on the pitch. India under their head coach Igor Stimac have embraced a reactive, ultra-defensive style of late, especially after their 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh in October 2019. In an international friendly against Jordan last month, in the lead-up to the Asian Cup qualifiers, Stimac used a defensive block so low that the defenders almost breathed down their goalkeeper’s neck. Jordan won the game 2-0. The head coach’s low block so far hasn’t achieved anything apart from keeping the scorelines respectable.

Long queues outside the Salt Lake Stadium for match tickets attested to Kolkata’s love for football. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) underestimated it by initially issuing only 12,000 complimentary tickets, assuming no more than 10,000 fans would turn up for India’s matches at the Asian Cup Group D qualifiers. They had to do the course correction after Sunil Chhetri’s comment that home advantage would be lost if stands remained empty. Now, as India begin their campaign against Cambodia on Wednesday, more than 50,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.

India XI vs Cambodia- Gurpreet, Roshan, Jhingan, Anwar, Akash, Anirudh, Brandon, Suresh, Liston, Manvir, Chhetri (C).

Compared to Indian build-up, the 'Angkor Warriors', who have qualified for the Asian Cup only once 50 years back in 1972, come here with a 2-1 win over Timor-Leste in a home friendly. With their Japanese tactician duo of Ryu Hirose and Keisuke Honda at their helm of coaching affairs, the Cambodians will look to surprise the home-backed Indians.

It's more than seven months since they won a match at international level -- a 3-0 win against Nepal in the SAFF Championship final on October 16, 2021. The recent results have proved to be a setback for the Stimac-coached side, which put up some gritty shows in the World Cup Qualifiers against Asian heavyweights Qatar (goalless draw) and Oman (1-2 loss after leading till 81st minute).

This is a tournament that gives India the best chance to qualify for the Continental trophy without much fuss but if there is a slip-up against a lowly-ranked nation, Chhetri or coach Igor Stimac will have little room for justification. The Blue Tigers under Stimac did not have a perfect build-up to the continental showpiece, having lost all their three international friendlies arranged in the lead-up to the qualifiers.

“I want to qualify. If I'm not there, my country will be there. So, either I'll be having a beer and watching Udanta sprint, or you having a beer and I'll be sprinting there. But we want to be there,” Chhetri made his intention clear ahead of his 126th International appearance.

Skipper Sunil Chhetri will get a chance to bolster his tally of 80 international goals. Cristiano Ronaldo (117 goals from 188 games), Lionel Messi (86 from 162 games) have been on a scoring spree and no wonder at his level, the Indian talisman would like to ride the roughshod over Cambodia, Afghanistan (150th) and Hong Kong (147th).

The Indian team gears up to steamroll 171st ranked Cambodia on Wednesday in their bid to make a fifth appearance in AFC Asian Cup tournament proper. With the next Asian Cup slated in late 2023 or early 2024 after the pull-out of China, Chhetri, who will complete 17 years in international football, might see this tournament as the 'final frontier' in his illustrious career. Stay tuned for live updates