AFC Asian Cup 2023 football: Resilient India lose 0-2 to Australia in opener
India conceded both their goals in the second half. They will play Uzbekistan in their next match on Thursday.
Football
The Indian men’s football team began its AFC Asian Cup 2024 campaign with a 0-2 loss to Australia at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar on Saturday.
India, ranked 77 places below Australia at world No. 102, did well not to concede in the first half. However, Jackson Irvine opened the scoring for Australia in the 50th minute before Jordan Bos doubled Australia’s lead in the 73rd minute.
With the loss in the first game, the Indian football team is currently placed at the bottom of Group B which also includes Uzbekistan and Syria. The top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams overall will move into the round of 16.
Australia dominated the first half with over 70 percent of the possession, 14 shots and 12 corners. However, the 2015 champions encountered some resolute defending from the Indian backline, spearheaded by Sandesh Jhingan, and were unable to score.
Though Australia were the better side in the first half, the most promising opportunity of the half fell to Sunil Chhetri in the 16th minute. The Indian captain did well to beat the Australian defenders in the box and reach Nikhil Poojary’s aerial cross at the centre. However, his header from close range went wide of the goal.
Australia continued to press forward in the second half and mounted pressure on the Indian backline. Their persistent efforts finally paid off in the 50th minute with Jackson Irvine making the most of Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s failed clearance inside the box.
After the opening goal, the match continued to be played in the same tempo with the Indian football team doing most of the defending.
Jordan Bos, who came in as a substitute, made an immediate impact by scoring the goal with his first touch of the game in the 73rd minute. Riley Mcgree surged past the Indian defence with an excellent run and found Bos inside the box. Bos struck it past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to make it 2-0.
With a two-goal cushion, Australia went for more goals but the scoreline remained unchanged courtesy some last-ditch defending by the Indian team.
India’s next match in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 is against world No. 68 Uzbekistan at the same venue on January 18.