The Indian football team did just about enough in the 2022 Fifa World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers. They finished third b...
The Indian football team did just about enough in the 2022 Fifa World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers. They finished third behind higher-ranked Qatar and Oman and above lower-ranked Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
A 1-1 draw against Afghanistan on Tuesday rubber-stamped India’s passage into the third round of Asian Cup qualification, the primary target before the campaign began. Job done.
But India’s performance throughout the qualifiers that saw them pick up just one victory in eight matches left a lot to be desired.
Lack of ambition
The Blue Tigers’ draw against Afghanistan probably summed up their campaign. There were bright spots, moments of good fortune, lapses in concentration and an overall tame approach to proceedings.
Coach Igor Stimac surprisingly went for a back four against Afghanistan having deployed a back three against Bangladesh and Qatar with a fair degree of success. It was perhaps a statement of intent from the Indian camp, they sought more than just a point from the game that was enough to seal third place in Group E.
But on the field, India were a rather subdued lot. Unwilling to take a lot of risks, Stimac’s men were a bit too concerned about keeping their defensive shape. Without any press high up the...
