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Football
The crucial Group C encounter is the first of six games that India will play in their final quest for a berth in AFC Asian Cup 2027. Follow the live football scores and updates of the IND vs BAN match
India’s next qualifying-round match will be against Hong Kong on June 10 in Kowloon. The Blue Tigers will face Bangladesh again on November 18 in Bangladesh. Remember that only the top team in Group C will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.
Here is a summarized version of events as they unfolded in a frenetic 90-plus minutes in Shillong, in the form of a match report.
The other encounter in group C tonight, Singapore vs Hong Kong, also ends in a 0-0 draw. All four teams thus stand with one point after their respective openers. Each teams plays the other three twice in a round-robin format and only the side that finishes on top of the group will qualify for the continental showpiece.
The Indian head coach minces no words when asked to describe his team’s performance. Lost for words initially, the Spaniard deems the display “very, very poor” and expresses his disappointment utterly transparently, before philosophizing that “maybe this is the reality of Indian football”.
India and Bangladesh play out their first 0-0 draw since 1999. Hamza Choudhury makes an inspired debut for the Bangla Tigers, bringing ice and fire in the form of a calming influence in the backline, and instigator-in-chief in attack. India will rue all the chances they had in the second half, particularly the one that fell to the talismanic Sunil Chhetri. Nevertheless, Shillong shows its potential might as a football venue, with vociferous supporters bringing the house down for the Blue Tigers. As for qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup, the road just got tougher for Manolo Marquez’s men.
Sunil Chhetri has a chance as good as any in the 85th minute of the game, but fails to latch on. He is unmarked in the Bangladesh D and gets a neat cross directed straight at him from Mahesh. But the legendary Indian forward only manages a header that goes wide, despite having oodles of time. He is livid with himself for missing the glorious opportunity late in the match, and is soon substituted by Irfan Yadwad.
India’s defensive mainstay Subhashish Bose has taken two cracks at the Bangladesh goal and come within inches of scoring either time. First, he unleashes a long-ranger from his right foot that whistles away from the far post. Then, he tries to head in a Colaco corner kick and connects really well, but is marginally off target.
Bangladesh sub out Jony and Emon, replacing them with 17-year-old Chandon Roy and Mohammed Fahim. Meanwhile, India replace Udanta and Ayush with Suresh and Mahesh respectively. Both sides looking to infuse fresh legs in the fervent hope of an opening goal.
India attacking from right to left in the second half, and have not rung in any substitutions yet. India are eyeing the opening breakthrough and Bangladesh, too, appear eager to break the deadlock after having come exasperatingly close in the first half.
The referee blows the whistle after two minutes of added time. A messy first half comes to an end, with Bangladesh enjoying more chances but failing to capitalize on any of them. A 0-0 scoreline means the bodies tired from all the chaos in the action so far will be pushed to the limit in the second half. This has all the makings of a brutal, yet enthralling showdown.
We are now seeing chances at both ends. India have a corner in the 41st minute and Liston Colaco goes for it. His set piece nearly curves into the Bangladesh goal but their custodian Mitul Marma does well to punch it away to safety. Seconds later, the visitors have a chance of their own but this time, the Indian keeper Kaith zooms out of his line to make a fine clearance.
The 30-year-old Bangladesh centre back Topu Barman suffers an ankle injury and after receiving treatment on the sidelines, has to sadly be stretchered off. Rahmat replaces him. Meanwhile, Jony is booked for a foul on Ayush Chhetri.
Bangladesh (185) may be far behind India (126) in the FIFA Rankings, but the tourists are giving Sunil Chhetri and Co a run for their money. They have four shots on the Indian goal, three of them genuine goal-scoring chances, while India have none yet. On top of that, the Indian defence is unable to mark the Bangladeshi offensive few well and there is too much leakage through the centre and flanks. Luckily for the hosts, a goal hasn’t resulted yet.
Wel, well, well. The kick-off isn’t a particularly auspicious one for India as goalkeeper Vishal Kaith nearly concedes a goal in the very first minute. Kaith inadvertently passes the ball to Bangladesh’s Jony and he takes a shot which, fortunately for the hosts, hits the side netting.
Here’s how the Indian starting XI looks ahead of the high-stakes clash in Shillong:
Here's how India line up for the #ACQ2027 opener against Bangladesh ⚔️
🇮🇳🆚🇧🇩
📺 @JioHotstar & @StarSportsIndia 3#INDBAN #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Aabo9Lk1YU
The Group C encounter starts at 7pm in Shillong, which is only hosting its second men’s international fixture after the friendly against Maldives. The India vs Bangladesh match will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India, and telecast on the Star Sports 3 TV channel in the country.
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