The loss meant that India finished at the bottom of Group A!

Jamal Rashed’s 91st-minute spot-kick broke Indian hearts as Bahrain ran out winners despite a solid defensive performance from Stephen Constantine’s team.

In what was a nervy start India replaced the injured Anas Edathodika with Salam Ranjan Singh in the early minutes of the game. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was on his toes as he brilliantly kept out Komail’s shot from outside the box in the 5th minute.

As Bahrain frustrated India by holding on to possession in the opening minutes the Blue Tigers on the other hand missed a good chance to score when Ashique Kuruniyan’s header off Pritam Kotal’s cross was blocked by the opposition defence. Also, Halicharan Nazary’s effort in the 22nd minute hit the side-netting.

Come the half-hour mark and India were passing exquisitely in the Bahrain box! Pronay Halder’s pass found Halicharan on the wings with the latter dribbling and laying off for Sunil Chhetri. Only a last-ditch tackle from a Bahrain defender stopped Chhetri before he could shoot on goal from less than 10 yards out!

Though Bahrain controlled possession the Blue Tigers still defended well with Sandesh Jhingan marshaling the back-line. Also India’s midfielders, who looked compact throughout, rushed to defend at times, thus restricting Bahrain to long-ranged shots.

Tight defending meant that Bahrain could not create problems for India despite raiding the box at times. Skipper Pronay Halder made a crucial goal-line clearance in the dying minutes of the first half to keep Bahrain at bay.

Coach Constantine added more spark in attack as he brought in Jeje Lalpekhlua for Ashique Kuruniyan at the half-way mark. But then it was defence (and not attack) where India did well as Halder and Jhingan frustrated Bahrain.

The duo gave India’s strikers the necessary cover and space to execute attacks. Jhingan also made a crucial sliding tackle in the 60th minute to deny Bahrain a clear goal after a cross from the right flank had gone unchecked.

Udanta Singh also got into the thick of defensive action later and made a sensational tackle in the Indian box to rob Bahrain of possession. Though Singh had earlier been hauled down near the Bahrain box still the resulting free-kick was sent over the bar by Chhetri.

Bahrain had an indirect free-kick inside the box in the 73rd minute (Sandhu had collected a back pass) but then India’s defenders kept the ball out by flinging bodies in the way.

Sandhu also pulled off a world-class save in the 83rd minute to deny Bahrain a goal from a close-range header. The rebound was excellently blocked off by Kotal!

But then it all went to naught as Pronay Halder brought down Hamad Al Shamsan inside the box during the dying minutes of the game .

And as Jamal Rashed converted from the spot…India’s dreams had gone to pieces!

INDIA: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika (4’ – Salam Ranjan Singh), Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose; Udanta Singh, Pronay Halder (C), Rowllin Borges, Halicharan Narzary (79’ – Anirudh Thapa), Ashique Kuruniyan (45’ – Jeje Lalpekhlua), Sunil Chhetri.

AIFF MEDIA

Also Read: Constantine resigns after India gets knocked out of AFC Asian Cup

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Circa 2019 and as India get set to face Bahrain (on the same day!) they stand on the cusp of qualification for the Round of 16 of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup!

If they do achieve that feat then Sunil Chhetri’s team would etch their name in India’s football folklore.

Chhetri — the second-highest goal scorer in international football among active players — had scored India’s second goal against Bahrain in 2011.

The India skipper — now a veteran — would be itching to score against Bahrain on Monday.

“It doesn’t matter who scores as long as we score. It’s a team game. The awareness and interest in football has certainly grown in India. Everyone who is associated with football is responsible for it. But I also want to say that it’s a very small jump which we have taken. We have to keep our heads down and keep working hard,” said Chhetri.

“It was an extremely difficult group back then. We had Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in the group. The only positive, apart from the fact that we played our hearts out was that we scored three goals,” he recalled about the 2011 campaign.

“The one distinct thing I remember was scoring. Renedy’s great dribbling first, and then his fierce shot from 35 yards hit the bar, and dropped. Later on, in the replays, we saw that the ball had gone in. But it wasn’t given. Off Renedy’s rebound, Abhishek Yadav hit the bar too, and as it fell to me, I headed it in,” reminisced Chettri.

“We haven’t achieved anything substantial yet. What I want to achieve is to reach the top 10 in Asia and rub shoulders with the best. For that, we have to improve a lot. The first step starts with a result against Bahrain tomorrow,” he added.

Keeping aside the second-place finish in 1964, this is arguably a memorable campaign for India.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Chettri are the only two members of this team to have played in 2011.

Gurpreet was on the bench in 2011 thanks to the presence of a certain Subrata ‘Spiderman’ Paul in goal.

“I remember everyone was very calm the before the Bahrain game. We believed that we could get a result from that game. We even managed to score a couple of goals. But unfortunately, we ended up losing,” said Sandhu.

“Eight years down the line we are back in the Asian Cup playing Bahrain again. Things are different, the teams are different. But we are in a better situation,” he added.

As Chhetri and India gave it their all against the best in Asia the youngsters of now had then dreamed of greater things to come.

“I remember I had tears in my eyes that day, and made one of those crazy promises that you make as a kid – I’m going to play for India one day and bring glory. But here I am today, ready to play against them tomorrow,” said central defender Sandesh Jhingan.

“It’s hard to believe, sometimes. Even if God came down and told me to write down my future eight years back, I would not have believed that I would be here, and facing Bahrain on this very day,” he added.

Defender Subhasish Bose, who broke into the India squad six months back, was a youngster when Chettri and co. played in 2011. He had yearned to avenge India’s loss on that fateful night.

“I was watching the Bahrain game with my dad. We were both disappointed on losing the match, but now we have the chance to get our revenge for that defeat,” said Bose.

India play Bahrain in Group A of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The game will kick-off at 9.30 pm (IST) and will be telecast live on Star Sports 2, 3 and live-streamed on Jio TV.

AIFF MEDIA

Also Read: Tricky but still very possible! A look at India’s Knockout round chances

Also Read: We need to win against Bahrain: Constantine

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The Blue Tigers next play Bahrain in their last match on January 14. India and Thailand have three points from two games while UAE top the group with four points.

India hit the post twice in the second-half and also muffed two good chances in the first. Despite an early scare the hosts scored through Alhamsi and Ali Mabkhout and finished off the game. India, who went all out in the first-half, could have won if it weren’t for the missed chances.

The Blue Tigers surprised UAE with their intensity in attack as plenty of chances came their way. Sandesh Jhingan’s free header went wide in the eight minute — the first real chance for India. UAE custodian Khalid Bilal later pulled off a world-class save to deny Ashique Kuruniyan from close range.

As skipper Sunil Chhetri’s header off Anirudh Thapa’s cross went straight to Bilal in the 23rd minute — it was the end of India’s attacking jaunt. The home team made India pay for their misses as Alhamsi took advantage of a miscommunication in the visitor’s defence and chipped home from a tight angle in the 40th minute.

India had another good scoring chance (after UAE’s defenders fluffed a routine clearance) but Chhetri could only shoot inches wide from a tight angle. The first-half finished 1-0 in UAE’s favor.

Come the second-half and substitute Jeje Lalpekhlua’s long-ranged chip in the 53rd minute was another missed effort for India. Udanta Singh also went close when his shot rattled the bar in the 55th minute. UAE also had their moments as skipper Alhammadi’s shot rattled the post in the 73rd minute. They did have the last laugh when Ali Mabkhout found the back of the net in the 88th minute.

Late in injury time, Jhingan’s header bounced back off the post as India did try to come back but it was in vain.

INDIA: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose; Udanta Singh (79’ – Jackichand Singh), Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa (70’ – Rowllin Borges), Halicharan Narzary (45’ – Jeje Lalpekhlua), Ashique Kuruniyan, Sunil Chhetri (C).

– AIFF MEDIA

Also Read:

AFC ASIAN CUP: It is an honor to play for India: Chettri

AFC ASIAN CUP: India still have work to do: Constantine

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A day after he surpassed Lionel Messi in the list for most goals scored by an active player in the international football arena he spoke at a length about the win against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the team, his fitness mantra, his debut and much more…

EXCERPTS:

Ever thought you would come this far (since the debut against Pakistan in 2005)?
SC: Never. Not even in my wildest fantasies, I thought that this would happen to me. Playing for my country the very first time was so enjoyable, memorable and nothing less than a great honor. But, I never thought that I would go on to play so many games and score goals for India.

The secret behind your goal-scoring run…
SC: There is no secret behind these results. I am blessed to have played the game with the best of the teammates — both for all my clubs and country. Both in Bengaluru FC and India, everyone helps me out. They support me and that is very important. I just try to continue doing the best for the team and the result follows.

Fitness…
SC: There is absolutely no secret. You have to just work hard and make sure you train well. Most importantly you need to eat and sleep well. The fact that I love playing football, and playing for my country drives me to push further. I think I am undergoing the phase when I’m the fastest, fittest in my life. I don’t think age is a barrier for me.

How did the team celebrate the win against Thailand?
SC: We did nothing to enjoy.  It’s just about sticking to the routine. We had the recovery sessions, and now the gym. It’s not done yet and nothing has been achieved so far. It was a decent win but just one win, no more or no less.

The plan for the future…
SC: We have to focus for the match against hosts UAE. It will be a very difficult game. If you ask me — without taking anything from Thailand, the least difficult one among the three matches was against Thailand.

The most difficult game will be against UAE and lest we forget, Bahrain will be equally tough for us. We are concentrating on the next one now and we need to give a good account of ourselves.

On Ashique stepping up for Jeje…
SC: Pretty good, I must say. It was a new position for him as he generally does not play as a striker. But he worked really hard. Jeje is the talisman for us. He is probably one of the main reasons why we have reached the Asian Cup finals. So it was quite a task for him to fill in Jeje’s shoes.

The overall performance against Thailand…
SC: It was a top-notch performance by everyone. Right from Gurpreet, Subhasish, Anas, Sandesh, Pritam — everyone was so good. At times, the whole team dig deep to defend, but these four guys have been really solid at the back

So, what’s next? Personal achievements?
SC: I don’t think anything about personal achievements at the moment. It’s all about the team and we need to focus on keeping a clean sheet against UAE.

On beating Messi’s record…
SC: No record for me now. After 10 years, probably, when we’ll sit with a drink in our hand will talk about records. (laughs).

AIFF MEDIA

Also Read: AFC ASIAN CUP: Blue Tigers lauded by India football legend

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“It will be a challenge for us tomorrow against Thailand. But the boys are ready to face them. We will play for a win. We have worked really hard in the last four years to be here. We will try to put on the best show possible. The boys have been doing the hard work on and off the pitch. We need to make sure the work does not go in vain. We are proud of the self-belief which we have acquired,” the custodian said at the pre-match press conference.

India play hosts UAE, Thailand and Bahrain in Group A. This is India’s fourth ever appearance in the tournament — the last coming in 2011. Their best performance till date is the second-place finish in 1964.

“As a team, we have proved that we can win. We are concentrating on the challenge ahead and will take one match at a time. The main thing is to stay positive, and be consistent. The experience of being in the squad in 2011 was huge for me. I learnt a lot from it. It was a different team in 2011 when players were at their peak. This team is young and could play for years to come. The desire in this team is ever-growing and we are hungry to prove ourselves,” he concluded.

India play Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at the Al Nahyan Stadium on January 6, 2019. The game will be telecast on Star Sports and streamed live on Hotstar at 7pm (IST). 

AIFF MEDIA

Also Read: AFC ASIAN CUP: Blue Tigers lauded by India football legend

Also Read: AFC ASIAN CUP: Blue Tigers do their bit for these special champions!

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EXCERPTS:

How is the mood of the team ahead of the tournament?

SJ: We are really pumped up! The priority (during qualification) was to stay fit and be in good form before the 23 names were announced in the final squad.

Did you watch the 2011 AFC Asian Cup?

SJ: Of course I did! I was a kid then! I remember watching the game against Bahrain and I cried after we lost. We had played very well and deserved a better result. India’s performance in that tournament fueled my desire to be part of the current team and also help them qualify for the 2019 edition.

Is qualification for the second round a realistic dream?

SJ: It will be tough, but not impossible. We have to stick to our plan and perform as the coach wants us to. We have to show unity and stand out. If we do that, we can grind out the results we need.

India’s most challenging opponent in the group stages… 

SJ: UAE will be tough to play against as they are the hosts. But I believe that if any team becomes over-confident then they can be beaten. If you are prepared and focused (as a team) then you can make it tough for the opposition.

On Sandesh Jhingan the poet…

SJ: Poetry calms me down and helps me cope with the hectic life of football. Also, I try to avoid writing during games as it takes a lot of emotional effort. I avoid reading or writing poetry during tournaments.

Your chemistry with coach Stephen Constantine…

SJ: I must thank the coach for handing me my debut in the senior India team. Of course it happened only after I spent two years on the bench! Being called up was a huge moment for me! I have a good bonding with the coach and I remember our first meeting in Guwahati in 2015. The coach helped me improve on my weaknesses and I also improved as a player due to his guidance. I know what he wants from me…both as a player and as a person.

AIFF MEDIA

Also Read: AFC ASIAN CUP: Blue Tigers lauded by India football legend

Also Read: AFC ASIAN CUP: Blue Tigers do their bit for these special champions!

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