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Highlights: Seminlen Doungel scored late in the encounter as India drew 1-1 against Afghanistan in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier against Afghanistan. Zelfagar Nazary handed Afghanistan the lead but a late equaliser for India kept the qualification dreams alive for the visitors.
Follow India vs Afghanistan live score updates here –
Full Time
Full time at Dushanbe! Zelfagar Nazary handed Afghanistan the lead but a late equaliser for India kept the qualification dreams alive for the visitors.
IND make it 1-1
Seminlen Doungel has scored for India! A good service from the corner spot by Brandon Fernandes and Doungel headed it brilliantly! India have made it 1-1 in Dushanbe.
IND in trouble
Couple of long range efforts from Pronoy Haldar and Brandon Fernandes but still no goal for India. This is not looking good for the visitors and although coach Igor Stimac has introduced all of his available strikers, the finishing has been a sore point for the team.
Woeful finishing
India have grown into the match considerably in the last 20 minutes, and have had a couple of excellent chances. However, the score still reads 1-0 in favour of Afghanistan and one of the biggest reasons behind that has been the woeful finishing from the India strikers.
Shocker from Chhetri
India are looking much better in the second half and another headed effort from Udanta Singh was saved by the Afghanistan keeper. They are attacking in numbers at this point but still no goal. Sunil Chhetri had the best chance of the match but he missed an open goal as India continue to trail in this game.
Missed chances
A massive miss for India as Sunil Chhetri connected well with a cross from Pritam Kotal but the Afghanistan goalkeeper was up to the challenge. Just a minute later, Pronay Haldar had another chance but the shot missed the target once again.
IND still trying
There was some issue with the Afghanistan goalkeeper’s knee but that was sorted in a couple of minutes. India, on the other hand, are still trying to find an opening in the opposition box but no success as of now.
2nd Half begins
The second half is underway and India have gone for their first substitution. Farukh Choudhury came in to replace Mandar Rao Desai and he will most likely partner Sunil Chhetri at the top of the field.
Half Time
It is half time in Dushanbe and India are trailing 0-1 against Afghanistan. They were looking good while attacking but the goal from Zelfagar Nazary handed Afghanistan the advantage! David Najem centred it low and hard with Nazary completed a good finish.
Afghanistan strikes
Zelfagar Nazary scores as Afghanistan lead 1-0 against India in World Cup qualifier match. This was a long time coming and with Afghanistan trying hard, they have finally received the reward.
Wing Power
As usual, Ashique Kuruniyan is at the thick of action once again. The winger has been quite impressive on attack and he once again had a chance to convert before it was blocked by the Afghanistan defender. On the other hand, Sunil Chhetri has been playing a bit behind his normal position and he will have to take more responsibility.
Solid chance
A great chance goes begging! A long range attempt from Ashique Kuruniyan but the shot was way off target. This is good news for India as it was a smooth move on their part and this can lead to a good show.
New strategy
Udanta Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan have been the major playmakers for India in the recent past and they have been quiet because of the pressure Afghanistan have applied on them. They will have to change their strategy or else India can face problems while attacking.
Nervous times
The tide has changed quite a bit in the match with Afghanistan having the upper hand while attacking right now. They are moving the ball among themselves and till now, their finishing has been the major concern.
AFG trouble
An early substitution for Afghanistan because of injury concerns but it remains to be seen if that causes any problem for them. Till now, they have not allowed India to attack through the wings and that can be an effective strategy tonight.
IND on the offensive
It did not take India long to launch attacks into the Afghanistan box as Pritam Kotal came up with a good cross but there was no one to head it home. Two more attacks followed but no good chances for the strikers yet.
Kick Off
The match is underway and India are going for a 4-1-3-2 formation with Sunil Chhetri playing up top. The defenders are playing passes among themselves and it seems like India will look to play from the back.
Game time
The teams are coming out and it is almost time for the encounter. The crowd has a lot of Indian support and they will be hoping for a victory for Sunil Chhetri & Co. Can India register their first win in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers?
Defensive woes
When Igor Stimac took over the reins of Indian football team from Stephen Constantine, expectations were high from the former Croatia defender. However, the defense turned out to be the main issue for him in the early days as he started his tenure with a 1-3 loss against Curacao followed by two heavy defeats at the hands of Tajikistan and North Korea.
With the exception of two matches which included a sensational draw against Asian champions Qatar, India conceded in all the other matches under the tutelage of Stimac and the problem is further worsened by the absence of Sandesh Jhingan ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers against Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and Oman in Muscat five days later.
Past Results
India began the second round of the qualifiers with a narrow 1-2 defeat to higher-ranked Oman before a memorable goal-less draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha in September. The good show in the first two matches raised hopes of a possible third round berth but a 1-1 draw against eastern neighbours Bangladesh in Kolkata on October 15 came as a dampener.
Hello and welcome
Welcome to the live coverage of the India vs Afghanistan, FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier between India and Afghanistan. India have not won a single group match till now and after dropping points against Bangladesh in their previous encounter, Sunil Chhetri and men will be looking to bounce back.
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