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FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 & ASIAN CUP QUALIFICATION

PRELIMINARY JOINT QUALIFICATION ROUND 2

MATCH CENTRE

AN ILLEGAL GOAL ENDS THE HOPE FOR INDIA

11.06.2024 : QATAR 2-1 INDIA (FT)

SCORER:

IND: Lalrinzualla Chhangte (36')

QAT: Youseff Aymen (75'), Ahmed Alrawi (85')

QAT: Shahab Ellethy(Ali Nader), Youseff Ayman, Mohammed Khaled(Tameen Abdoulla), Naif Alhadhrami, Hazem Ahmed, Ibrahim Ali, Abdulla Abdul, Nabil Ifran, Ahmed Alrawi, Ahmed (Kaled Ali), Alhashmi Mohialdin.

IND: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Jay Gupta(Edmund Lalrindika), Suresh Singh, Brandon Fernandez(Sahal Abdul Samad) , Jeakson Singh, Lalrinzualla Chhangte(Nandhakumar Sekar), Rahim Ali(Liston Colaco), Manvir Singh(Vikram Pratap Singh).

REFEREE: Kim Woosung (Korea Republic)

THE MISSION OF INDIA ARE OVER AFTER THE DEFEAT AGAIST QATAR

90+7': FINAL SCORE: QATAR 2-1 INDIA

90+6': YELLOW CARD to Anwar Ali.....rough play against Homam Ahmed.

90': YELLOW CARD to Rahul Bheke for rough play.

90': 7 minutes added time.

85': GOAL......... Qatar scored, leading by 2-1, Ahmed Alrawi's right footed angular shot from top the 18 yards beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

82': Chance for India Jay Gupta in an open space of a pass from Liston Colaco inside the 18 yards, but Jay hit straight to the goalkeeper.

75': QATAR 1-1 INDIA

75': GOAL.......... Qatar scored 1-1...... It was really an unjustified goal declared by the Referee . The ball crossed the goal line, but the ball was pushed inside the goal by Youseff Aymen after the ball was collected from outside by Alhasami Mohialdin. Indian footballers rushed to Assistant Referee and the Match Referee appealed to disallow the goal, but Referee declared it as goal.

72': A forward pass from Sahal Samad to Liston Colaco down the right, but Liston was ruled offside.

68': A left footed low curling shot from almost 35 yards by Mehtab Singh, saved by the Qatar goalkeeper.

65': Qatar playing in short passes trying to create opening inside the India half, India yet to create any positive chance in the second half.

62': A cross from the right by Nabil Irfan for Tameen Abdulla, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved the situation.

60': QATAR 0-1 INDIA

58': YELLOW CARD to Brandon Fernandez, he fouled Youseff Ayman.

56': Chance for Qatar .........Mohammed Kahked's flick of a corner kick from the right missed the target.

54': Ibrahim Mohammed's shot from outside the 18 yards of a clearance from Qatar defense went over the cross bar.

49': Chance for Qatar Honam Ahmed's push of a forward pass from Ibrahim Mohammed went wide.

46': Second session kicks off.

45+2: HALF TIME SCORE: QATAR 0-1 INDIA

45+2': YELLOW CARD to Ahmed Alganehi, he pulled down Brandon Fernandez.

45': 2 minutes added time.

45': YELLOW CARD to Ahmed Alrawi, rough play against Mehtab Singh.

42': India creating pressure in Qatar half......played a number of passes just outside the 18 yards, finally Rahim Ali's cross pass cleared by the Qatar goalkeeper Shahab Ellethy.

39': Save by Gurpreet Alhashmi Mohaialdin's powerful shot from outside the 18 yards punched away by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

36': GOAL............. India scored, leading by 1-0, Lalrinzualla Chhangte scored of a pass from Brandon Fernandez.

35': Chance wasted by India...........Rahim Ali Shoots wide of a pass from Lalrinzualla Chhangte with only the Qatar goalkeeper to beat.

31': Chance wasted by India ..........Manvir Singh snatched a ball from Hazem Ahmed, went inside the 18 yards, but he shoots straight to the Qatar goalkeeper and wasted an easy chance.

30': QATAR 0-0 INDIA

28': Ahmed Alrawi was moving dangerously inside the India half, but Rahul Bheke challenged him and cleared the ball.

24': Chance for India.........Rahim Ali got past Youseff Ayman from the left, went inside the 18 yards but his shot missed the target narrowly.

21': A forward pass from Brandon Fernandez to Jay Gupta deep inside the Qatar half, but Shehab Mamdouh came out and cleared the ball.

17': Ahmed Alrawi beat Rahul Bheke in speed went inside the 18 yards but his shoots wide.

15': QATAR 0-0 INDIA

14': Alhashmi's lob from outside the 18 yards to on rushing Hazem Ahmed, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in rescue for India.

11': Goal line Save by India........Ahmed Alrawi's push of a pass from Mohamed Khaled from the right saved from the goal line by Mehtab Singh.

9': Jay Gupta was trying to find his way inside the Qatar half, but he was denied by Qatar defense.

6': Ahmed Alrawi's low shot from outside the 18 yards went straight to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

5': A forward pass from Jay Gupta to Rahim Ali inside the 18 yards, but Shehab Mamdouh came out intime to collect the ball.

2': Chance for Qatar......Alhashmi Mohaldin's flick of a corner kick from the right saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

0': Kick off at Doha.

INDIA REQUIRES POINT AGAINST QATAR TO STAY AS A CONTENDER FOR THE NEXT ROUND

10.06.24: India to face the strong challenge of Asian champions Qatar in the final group match of AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers Round 2 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha on Tuesday night.

HEAD TO HEAD (ALL COMPETETION)

TOTAL MATCHES: 5

INDIA WON: 1

QATAR WON: 2

TIED MATCHES: 2

INDIA SCORED: 5

QATAR SCORED: 2

India are still second in Group A with five points from as many matches, they must now ensure a result against the reigning champions of the AFC Asian Cup 2023, and hope for a favourable score line in the match between Kuwait and Afghanistan, later in the day. Qatar already qualified from the group with 13 points.

In the pre match Press conference at Doha, the Head coach of India Igor Stimac said, âWe know how important this game is for us, so every player will fight for the nation. We are here to represent the country, and we will go out there as a team and give it our best shot. Itâs 11-vs-11 tomorrow, and anything is possible in football. We have to put in the hard yards, and if we do it, we could get something out of it in the end.â Regarding Sunil Chetri, Indian Head coach said, Weâve played several games over the last five years without him, and we have shown that we can play in a composed manner. Weâve got other leaders in the side, who now need to step up.â Th

MATCH CENTRE

06.06.2024 : INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT (FT)

IND: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta(Edmund Lalrindika), Nikhil Poojary, Anirudh Thapa(Rahim Ali), Suresh Wangjam, Sahal Abdul Samad(Brandon Fernandez), Liston Colaco(Manvir Singh), Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte

KUW: Sulaiman Abdulghafoor, Hasan Alanezi, Meshari Alenezi, Khaled Ibrahim, Mohammad Abdullah, Faizal Alharbi, Eid Alrashidi, Rashed Abdousari, Redha Abujabarah, Athbi Saleh, Yousef Alsulaiman

REFEREE: Fu Ming (China)

90+7': FINAL SCORE: INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

90+7': Referee blew his final whistle.

90+2': A forward pass from Brandon Fernandez to Rahim Ali inside the 18 yards, Rahim Ali was trying to got past his marker, but Kuwait defense blocked the area cleared the ball.

90': 7 minutes added time.

85': Chance for Kuwait following a corner kick from the right........Redha Abujabarah was trying find his way inside the 18 yards, but Nikhil Poojary saved the situation and cleared the ball.

80': A forward pass from Sunil Chetri to Lalrinzualla Chhangte in the right, Chhangte was trying to control the ball, but the ball rolled over the touch line.

75': INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

73': Yousef Alsulaiman was in an open space was about to take a shot a goal following a forward pass from the middl, but a timely tackle by Anwar Ali saved the situation for India. Kuwait appealed for Penalty, Denied by the Referee.

67': It is a midfield battle so far, both the teams are playing in short passes trying to create opening. Kuwait had some chances to Convert, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu came as a savior for his country.

61': Rahul Bheke's header of a corner from Brandon Fernandez from the right saved by Suliaman Abdulghafoor.

60': INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

55': Brandon Fernandez's curling free kick went straight to Sulaiman.

54': India earned a free as Liston Colaco was fouled inside the Kuwait Half.

52': Eid Alrashidi's powerful shot from top of the 18 yards brilliantly saved by Gurpreet Singh 47': An easy chance wasted by India........Rahim Ali failed to convert with the Kuwait goalkeeper Sulaman at his mercy.

46': Second half starts.

45+4': HALF TIME SCORE: INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

45': 4 minutes added time.

44': Lalrinzualla Chhangte got past his marker from the right and sends a pass for Sunil Chetri inside the 18 yards, but the ball cleared by Kuwait defenders.

34': Liston Colaco got past Hasan Alanezi and send a pass to Sunil Chetri inside the 18 yards, but Sunil was a bit was slow in reacting.

30': INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

29': A forward pass from Liston Colaco to Sahal Abdul Samad inside the 18 yards but the Kuwait defenders did not allow him to take a shot at goal.

24': Kuwait on a counter move down the middle.......Athbi Salah got past Nikkhil Poojary but his cross pass from the right cleared by Anwar Ali.

20': Kuwait played a number of passes deep inside the India half, but finally Sresh Wanjam cleared the ball and save the situation for his team.

16': A forward from Jay Gupta to Liston Colaco down the left, Liston got past his marker and sends a cross pass inside the 18 yards, but the ball was cleared by Kuwait defense.

15': INDIA 0-0 KUWAIT

12': A forward pass from Nikhil Poojary to Lallinazualla Chhangte just outside the 18 yards, but Chhangte shoots over the cross bar.

8': Yousef Alsulaiman was inside the 18 yards of India following a forward pass from the midfield, but Gurpreet Singh came out in time to save the situation.

4': A cross pass from Lallinazualla Chhangte from the right but Suresh Wanjam shoots over the cross bar from inside the 18 yards.

0': Kick off at Kolkata.

*** GOOD EVENING.......Welcome to our live updates from Yubabhrati Kriangan, Kolkata.

PREVIEW

IT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAME I PLAYED FOR NINETEEN YEARS: CHETRI

05.06.2024: Sunil Chetri's 19 years international career will going to end on Thursday evening when he lead his team out at the truf of Vivekananda Yubabharati Kriangan at Kolkata to face Kuwait in an important match of 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Qualifying match.

In the pre match press conference at Kolkata, the 39 years old Indian captain expressed his views before the match.

Sunil Chetri said, "I've been fighting a small battle every day. Don't ask me how I feel (about retirement). Because I don't want to address it. We really need to win tomorrow. Once we win this game, it gives us a great chance to go to the third round, which we have never been to. One thing we know for sure is that this is not going to be easy. And one thing we are very happy about is that we're playing in Kolkata. We'll have tremendous support."

"I'll be there wearing a nice suit, coming to watch all our boys play. That's the dream. We win tomorrow, hopefully, and we'll be almost qualified. It's not 100% guaranteed. There are some permutations and combinations, but we'll qualify. There will be 10 top games against the best in Asia, home and away. We'll go and watch the games."

"Hopefully, everything goes according to plan and I can go and watch them (in the third round). Just imagine playing against Japan and Australia in the third round. Just imagine what the whole euphoria will be and that is why the win is important. That's why we want everyone together."

"I think it's the right time. This is the right setup. It's one of the biggest games that I, who has played for 19 years, is going to play. We win, we go to the third round where we've never been before. There couldn't be a better game for me to call it my last. I'm at peace from the inside. I've given whatever I had."

05.06.2024: India is all set to face the challenge of Kuwait in an important 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (second round) and to ensure a qualification into the third round of the qualifiers of the AFC region and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia on 6th of June at the iconic Vivekananda Yubabharati Kriangan at Kolkata.

IGOR STIMAC IN PRE MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

"We had three tight, tough games against Kuwait. Either team could've won them. I would say our best game was away in Kuwait in these qualifiers because that was perfect defensive shape, not allowing them to get near our box and create clear chances. That's what we need to repeat tomorrow, with our discipline, focus, tight marking, reaching the opposition goal and scoring the goal because that's what we need."

"Knowing that this is the last game of our captain for the national team makes this occasion much, much bigger. But of course, this is still about India winning against Kuwait. We are focussed on what we need to do. I will put it in a few words - we are ready for it."

RUI BENTO IN PRE MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

"We expect a good game tomorrow. We know that both teams have competitive targets and the same goal. We've had a good environment in our training. We believe that more than the one week of camp in Thailand, it's about the one and a half year of us being together as a team."

"Yes, we played three games against India last year. They were all very balanced and the teams were at a similar level. But all those matches are history. Football is always an ongoing process, and we are proud and confident of ourselves. We are more prepared now to face India and expect ourselves to be better than before and win the game."

HEAD TO HEAD

TOTAL MATCHES: 6

INDIA WON: 3

KUWAIT WON: 2

TIED MATCHES: 1

INDIA SCORED: 8 GOALS

KUWAIT SCORED: 19 GOALS

LAST MATCH SCORE

16.11.2023 : FIFA WORLD CUP QLF - INDIA 1-0 KUWAIR

SCORER: MANVIR SINGH

HIGHEST MARGIN WIN

14.10.2010: INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY - INDIA 1-9 KUWAIT

IGOR STIMAC REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MATCH

"Reaching Round 3 will be another step in Indian football history,â said Stimac. âIt will be an amazing thing to have the opportunity to play another 10 games against the best Asian teams and dream big about trying to reach the biggest stage of football."

'

Reaching Round 3 would be a double delight. A place in the third round would also ensure Indiaâs direct qualification for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia, a fact that makes the June 6 tie a momentous occasion.The top two teams from each group from the second round will head into the third round, where 18 nations will be split into three groups of six and play each other on a home-and-away basis.

" First, winning the game is crucial. And to reach that target, we need to be very clever. If we donât open the scoring in the first half an hour, we need to be intelligent and play quality football together with pace. All these aspects are very important and we have to prepare for them. We have to prepare everything, not only the starting eleven players, but also the five on the bench, who could enter the pitch as substitutes."

WE WANT TO WIN FOR SUNILBHAI: SUBHASISH

03.06.24: India will face against Kuwait in an important qualifying match on Thursday evening at a full house iconic Yubhabharati Kriangan in Kolkata.

Subhasish Bose, an important member of India spoke with the media before the trainning session.

While interacting Subhasish said, "The match against Kuwait is hugely important for us. It is a golden opportunity to create history in Indian football. After all, India could never reach Round 3 of the World Cup qualifiers. A victory in this match would also ensure our place in the 2027 Asian Cup final rounds."

While answering a question regarding Sunil Chetri, the Indian defender said, "The motivation level among the players is higher than usual; they all know this will be Sunil bhaiâs farewell match and there is an urge among all of us to make it memorable. We all want to win this match, a farewell gift for Sunil bhai. Sunil Bhai is a role model and an inspiration for many youngsters, who joined the national team much later. Itâs a special match, indeed. But it's also an India match; we are all playing for India and will do everything for an Indian victory. We want to win this match to make 140 crore people in this country happy. "

SUNIL CHETRI IS COUNTING HIS DAYS IN INDIA TEAM

01.06.24 Indian captain Sunil Chetri will play his last international match at Kolkata against Kuwait on 6th of June. After reaching to the City of Joy from Bhubaneswar he wrote in his social media, âThese last few days, Iâve been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that thereâs a number to my days with the National Team, whatâs the right route to take â do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end ?â

Sunil Chetri is third highest goal scorer in international circuit by scoring 94 goals in 150 appearances.

RELIANCE FOUNDATION DEVOLOPEMENT LEAGUE: 2023-24

PUNJAB FC ARE THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS OF RDFL

18.05.2024 : EAST BENGAL FC 2-3 PUNJAB FC (FT)

SCORER:

PFC: Omang Dodum (5'), Yendrembam Boby Singh (59'), Hamanpreet Singh (72')

EBFC: Guite Vanlalpeka (43'), Joseph Justin (50')

EBFC : Gourab Shaw, Adil Amal, Guite Vanlalpeka, Aman CK, Suman Dey, Debojit Roy, Joseph Justine, Md. Ashique, Shyamal Besra, Naseeb Rahaman, Manabir B.

PFC : Aayush, Amarjit, Omang, Usham's, Muhammed F, Niteesh, Singamayum, Ricky, Manav, Mangienthang, Paramveer

REFEREE : Santanu Agarwal

SEASON AWARD

GOLDEN BOOT: Omang Dodum (Punjab FC)

GOLDEN BALL: Muhammad Suhail (Punjab FC)

GOLDEN GLOVE: Sujay S (Roots FC)

COACHES COMMENT BEFORE THE MATCH

BINO GEORGE

âWe have obviously watched Punjab FC and their tactics. But irrespective of the opponents, we have come here to obtain our objectives. My philosophy is to constantly keep learning and rectify from our mistakes from the previous match, and help my players scale to the highest possible levels, i.e. wear the senior team jersey of East Bengal FC and also represent the national team one day. We conceded two early goals in the last match. I appreciate their attitude to spark a comeback after that, but we need to be conscious of not getting into such positions in big matches.â

SANKARLAL CHAKRABORTY

âOur semi-final against Bengaluru FC was a great game, since they were also the defending champions of RFDL. We created several goal-scoring chances, which is a good trait, but we ended up missing quite a few of them too, which is something that we would like to address in the final against East Bengal FC. We are hopeful of bringing the RFDL trophy home.â

CARLES QUADRAT MASSAGE BEFORE THE FINAL

16.05.23: Emami East Bengal FC' Head coach Carles Quadrat is satisfied and pleased with the performance of Clubs 'B' team in RFDL. After entering in the final of RFDL the Spanish coach in his massage said, " The RFDL is a very important tournament because it involves players for the future. Our B team gems have a perfect guide under Coach Bino George who implements a lot of things that we have been applying in the first team like tactical, wingers helping fullbacks, counter attacks, set pieces. As a club we want to take advantage of our youth system, and some of these players have already played an important part in the senior team."

Carles Quadrat added. " Keep working in the right direction, the deserving candidates will get their due opportunities in the senior team.

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFFS: MUTHOOT FA EDGED OUT BENGALURU FC IN TIE BREAKER

17.05.2024 : MUTHOOT FC 2(5)-2(4) BENGALURU FC (FT)

SCORER:

MFC: Salahudeen Adnan K (2'), Adil Abdulla (90+4')

BFC: Ankith P (27',40')

Muthoot FA won the match with the help of tie breaker after the match ended 2-2 in the schuduled time.

FIFA 2026 & AFC 2027 PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATION II

INDIA FAILED TO BEAT AFGHANISTAN AT HOME

26.03.2024 : INDIA 1-2 AFGHANISTAN (FT)

IND: Sunil Chetri (P-37')

AFG: Rahamat Ambari (70'), M Sharif Mukhammed (P-88")

IND: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Nikhil Poojary, Liston Colaco(Mahesh Singh), Jeakson Singh(Vikram Pratap), Brandon Fernandes(Aniruddh Thapa), Lalengmawia Ralte, Sunil Chhetri(Lalrinzualla Chhangte), Manvir Singh.

AFG: Ovays Azizi, Mahoob Hanifi, Haroon Amiri(c), Habibulla Askar(Siar Saddat), Mosawer Ahadi, Rahmat Akbari, Jabar Sharza(Jamshed Hamad), Taufee Skandari, Zelfagar Nazary, Omid Popalzay(Fareed Sadat), Sharif Mukhamed

REFEREE: Mohammed Khled Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

90+8': FINAL SCORE: INDIA 1-2 AFGHANISTAN

90+4': YELLOW CARD to Vikram Pratap, rough play against Mahboob Hanifi.

90+3': YELLOW CARD Mahbbob Hanifi, he pulled down Manvir Singh from behind.

90': 5 minutes added time.

88': GOAL............... Afghanistan leading by 2-1.......M Sharif Mukhammed converts the penalty.

87': YELLOW CARD < to Gurpreet Singh for the offense.

87': PENALTY for Afghanistan, Fareed Sadat was fouled by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu inside the 18 yards.

85': Apuia Raltey shoots wide of target from the age of the 18 yards of a clearance from Siar Saddat 83': Manvir Singh's header of a cross from Nikhil Poojary from the right sailed over the cross bar.

81': Aniruddh Thapa's shot of a pass from Mahesh Singh from the left blocked by Mahoob Hanifi.

77': A forward pass from Zelfagar Nazary to Fareed Sadat inside the 18 yards, but Anwar Ali covered the area and cleared the ball.

75': INDIA 1-1 AFGHANISTAN

74': Taufee Skandari's powerful shot from almost 30 yards saved by Gurpreet Singh.

70': GOAL.............. Afghanistan equalised 1-1, Rahamat Akbari scored from the age of the 18 yards of a wrong clearance from Anwar Ali, the ball defected of Rahul Bheke and rolled into the net.

67': A forward pass from Manvir Singh to Nikhil Poojary deep inside the Afghanistan half, but unable to clear the defense.

63': Omid Popalzay shoots wide of the target from outside the 18 yards of a pass from Jabar Sharza.

60': INDIA 1-0 AFGHANISTAN

58': A long pass from Rahamat Akbari from the left to Mosawer Ahadi inside the 18 yards with just Subhasish Bose in front of the Afghanistan footballer, but he failed to control the ball.

54': Liston Colaco's long ranger of a clearance from Afghanistan defense went wide over the cross bar.

52': Mosawer Ahadi was clear inside the 18 yards, trying for a shot at goal, but Anwar Ali blocked the area and cleared the ball.

48': A long lob from the midfield by Brandon Fernandez inside the 18 yards, Manvir Singh was chasing the ball, but Ovays Azizi in control of the situation.

46': Second session kicks off.

45+3': HALF TIME SCORE: INDIA 1-0 AFGHANISTAN

45': 3 minutes added time.

43': YELLOW CARD to Rahul Bheke, he fouled Jabar Sharza.

42': A lob from Apuia Raltey from the midfield, Haroon Amiri missed the ball, the ball came to Sunil Chetri, but the Indian captain lost control of the ball.

38': YELLOW CARD to Subhasish Bose, he tackled dangerously to Omid Popalzay.

37': GOAL................ Sunil Chetri scored, India leading by 1-0....... He scored his 94th goal for India in his 150th international match.

36': YELLOW CARD to Haroon Amiri for handling the ball.

36': PENALTY for India, Haroon Amiri handled a cross pass from Manvir Singh from the right.

33': Brandon Fernandez's low free kick easily cleared away by Afghanistan defense.

32': India earned a free kick as Liston Colaco was pulled down by Mahoob Hanifi.

31': Nikhil Poojary's left footed cross pass from the right was cleared by Haroon Amiri before Sunil Chetri could touch the ball.

30': INDIA 0-0 AFGHANISTAN

28': A cross pass by Subhasish Bose from the left of a forward pass from Liston Colaco, but no Indian footballers were there to react.

25': YELLOW CARD to Brandon Fernandez, rough play against Mosawer Ahadi.

24': Brandon Fernandez's free kick from the right cleared by Afghanistan defense.

23': India earned a free kick......Liston Colaco was fouled by Rahmat Akbari inside the Afghanistan half.

21': India on a counter move........Manvir Singh's cross pass from the right of a pass from Apuia Raltey went wide.

17' Taufee Skandari who was trying to find his way inside the Indian 18 yards was blocked by Nikhil Poojary.

15': INDIA 0-0 AFGHANISTAN

14': Rahul Bheke's header of a corner from Brandon Fernandez went wide after a defection from Mahoob Hanifi.

13': Apuia Raltey of a forward pass from Manvir Singh blocked by Afghanistan defense.

11': A forward pass from Nikhil Poojary to Auia Raltey inside the 18 yards, but the Afghan goalkeeper came out in time to control the situation.

8': Haroon Amiri's header of a corner kick from Mosawer Ahadi from the left punched away by Gurpreet Singh.

5': Brandon Fernendez was finally tackled by Haroon Amiri after he got past a number of players from the right.

2': A forward pass from Subhasish Bose to Sunil Chetri deep inside the Afganishtan half, but the ball was cleared by Haroon Amiri.

0': Kick off at Guwahati.

INDIAN CAPTAIN SUNIL CHETRI PLAYING IN 150TH INTERNATIONAL MATCH

0': GOOD EVENING.........Welcome to our live updates, Stay with us, Match will kick off shortly.

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CURRENT POSITION IN GROUP A

India are on 4 points after 3 matches.

Afghanistan are at the bottom of the table with 1 point from 3 matches.

Qatar is leading the table with 9 points from 3 matches.

Kuwait is on the third position with 3 points from 3 matches.

FIFA 2026 & AFC 2027 PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATION II

INDIA SHARED POINTS WITH AFGHANISTAN

22.03.2024 : AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA (FT)

AFG: Ovays Azizi, Mahoob Hanifi, Haroon Amiri(c)(Sayed Reza), Habibulla Askar, Mosawer Ahadi, Rahmat Akbari, Skandari Sharaza, Taufee Skandari(Jamseh Ahmed),Zelfagar Nazary, Omid Popalzay(Omid Muswami), Sharif Mukhamed .

IND: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra(Subhasish Bose) , Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh(Mahesh Singh), Lalengmawia Ralte, Lalrinzualla Chhangte(Deepak Tangri), Manvir Singh(Liston Colaco), Sunil Chetri(c), Vikram Pratap Singh(Brandon Fernandez).

REFEREE: Kim Heegon (Korea Republic)

90+5': FINAL SCORE: AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

90+2': YELLOW CARD to Nikhil Poojary for time wasting.

90': 5 minutes added time.

87': YELLOW CARD to Deepak Tangri, he fouled Zelfagar Nazary dangerously.

84': Liston Colaco's cross pass of a pass from the right of a pass from Nikhil Poojary from the right was cleared by Haroon Amiri, once again did not allow Sunil Chetri to create any danger.

79': Subhasish Bose's header of a corner from Brandon Fernandez from the right.

77': A move by Rahul Bheke down the right flank of a pass from Liston Colaco, but Habibulla Askar challenged him.

75': AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

74': YELLOW CARD to Haroon Amiri, rough play against Liston Colaco.

70': The second session proved to be competitive, both the teams created a number of positive chances.

68': Brandon Fernandez got past a number of Afghanistan players and sends a cross pass inside the 18 yards, Mahoob Hanifi in control of the situation.

65': A cross pass from Brandon Fernandez from the right, but cleared by Hroon Amiri before Sunil Chetri could create any danger.

62': Chance wasted by Afghanistan.........Omid Popalzay failed to place the ball in vacant goal of a pass from Rahmat Akbari. Gurpreet Singh was not in his position.

60': AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

57': Chance for India.........Vikram Pratap was in a clear position with only the goalkeeper in front of him, but Vikram failed to place the ball in goal of a cross from Akash Mishra from the left.

54': YELLOW CARD to Vikram Pratap, rough play against Zelfagar Nazary.

48': A forward pass from Apuia Raltey to Vikram Pratap inside the 18 yards, but Ovays Azizi came out in time to collect the ball.

46': Second session kicks off.

45+3': HALF TIME SCORE: AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

45': 3 minutes added time.

43': Taufee Skandhari was blocked by Rahul Bheke as he was trying to find his way deep inside the Indian half.

41': Manvir Singh's header of a cross pass from Nikhil Poojary from the right missed the target by an inch.

37': Manvir singh's header from a corner from Lalrinzualla Chhangte went wide .

35': A forward pas from Sunil Chetri to Vikram Pratap, but he failed to control the ball, Ovays Azizi collects the ball.

32': Vikram Pratap of a pass from Manvir Singh was looking dangerous inside the 18 yards but he was challenged by Haroon Amiri.

30': AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

28': Apuia Raltey was blocked by Habibulla Askar just outside the 18 yards as he was trying to enter inside the 18 yards.

24' Rahul Bheke's header from inside the 18 yards went over the cross bar of a free kick from Lalrinzualla Chhangte from the left.

21': A cross pass from the right by Vikram Pratap, but Manvir Singh failed to control the ball inside the 18 yards, Haroon Amiri finally cleared the ball.

16': Manvir Singh was trying to find his way deep inside the Afghanistan half , but Mahboob Hanifi cleared the ball.

15': AFGHANISTAN 0-0 INDIA

11': Chance for Afghanistan....... Rahamat Akbari's shoots wide of the target from the top of the 18 yards of a pass from Jabar Sharza.

9': Harron Amiri's free kick went wide of the target.

8': Afganistan earned a free kick deep inside the india half, Omid Popalzay was fouled by Apuia Raltey.

4': Lalrinzualla Chhangte's corner kick cleared by Afghanistan defense.

3': India earned a corner as Zelfagar Nazary cleared a cross pass from Nikhil Poojary from the right.

0': Kick off at Abha.

**** Match will kick off shortly , stay with us for the updates.

HEAD TO HEAD :

TOAL MATCHES: 11

INDIA WON : 7

AFGANISTAN WON: 1

TIED MATCH: 3

INDIA SCORED: 20 GOALS

AFGANISTAN SCORED: 7 GOALS

HIGHEST SCORE :

11.12.2011 - SAFF CUP FINAL: INDIA 4-0 AFGANISTAN

LAST MATCH RESULT :

11.06.2022 - AFC ASIAN CUP: INDIA 2-1 AFGANISTAN

FIXTURE - GROUP-A : Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification

11.06.2024: QATAR VS INDIA - Al Khor

06.06.2024: INDIA VS KUWAIT - Kolkata

26.03.2024: INDIA VS AFGANISTHAN- Guwahati

21.03.2024: AFGANISTHAN 0-0 India - Saudi Arabia (12.30 am IST)

Indian VS Afghanistan AWAY MATCH TO BE PLAYED on 21 March, 2024, in Abha (22 March, 12.30 am IST). Indiaâs home match against Afghanistan will be played at Guwahati on 26 March, 2024.

26 MEN INDIA SWUAD

GOALKEEPERS : Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

DEFENDERS : Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Amey Ranawade, Jay Gupta.

MIDFIELDERS : Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan.

FORWARDS : Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh.

WORLD CUP 2026 & ASIAN CUP 2027 JOINT QUALIFIER

21.11.2023 : INDIA 0-3 QATAR (FT)

QATAR : Mustafa Tarek(4'), Almoez Ali (47'), Yusuf Abdurisag (88')

INDIA : Amrinder Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan (Lalchungnunga), Subhasish Bose, Anirudh Thapa (Sahal Samad), Suresh Wangjam, Lalengmawia(Naorem Mahesh), Udanta Singh, Lallianzula Chhnagte(Ishan Pandita), Sunil Chhetri (c)(Rahul KP).

QATAR : Meshaal Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Ahmed Fathy, Hassan Haydos (c)(Mohammed Albayti), Akram Afif, Lucas Mendes, Homan Ahmed, Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali, Tamim Mansour, Mustafa Tarek(Mohammed Muntari).

REFEREE : Sivakorn Pu Udom (Thailand)

90+4': FINAL SCORE: INDIA 0-3 QATAR

90': 4 minutes added time.

86': GOAL........... Qatar now leading by 3-0, A cross from Mohammed Albayti from the left and Yusuf Abdurisag scored with a perfect header between Rahul Bheke and Nikhil Poojary.

82': Akram Afif was trying to find his way just outside the 18 yards of a pass from Mohammed Muntari, but Sandesh Jhingan blocked the area and Nikhil Poojary cleared the ball.

77': Chance for Qatar.......Mohammed Muntari's shot from age of the 18 yards of a pass from Yusuf Abdurisag went ocer the cross bar.

73': Mahesh Singh received a pass from Sahal Samad between the the two Qatar defenders inside the 18 yards, but his shot went wide.

69': India trying to came back in the match, had some good moves in the second session but still to create any impact in Qatar defense.

65': India missed a easy opportunity..........A forward pass from Suresh Wanjam finds Sahal Samad in a open space inside the 18 yards, but his push went wide of the target.

62': A forward pass from Aniruddh Thapa to Noarem Mahesh but his forward pass was cleared by Qatar defense.

60': A cross pass from Lalrinzualla Chhangte of a forward pass from Sunil Chetri, but the ball was claered by Qatar defense.

57': A forward pass from Akram Afif to Almoez Ali, but a timely tackel from Sandesh Jhingan saved the situation.

54': Akram Afif was brought down inside the 18 yards by Suresh Wangjam, Qatar appealed for a penalty, denied by the Referee.

51': Qatar continued to play the attacking role pressing hard in Indian defense.

47': GOAL.......... Qatar leading by 2-0, A shot from Akram Afif was partially saved by Amrinder Singh, and unmarked Almoez Ali pushed the ball in almost open goal.

46': Second session starts.

AT HALF TIME: INDIA 0-1 QATAR

45': 2 minutes added time.

42': Sunil Chetri earned a loose ball in Qatar defense and passed the ball to unmarked Aniruddh Thapa, but Aniruddh failed to utilise the situation and shoots wide.

40': A cross from Lalrinzualla Chhangte from the left of a pass from Subasish Bose but the ball was cleared by Homam Amhed as Udanta Singh was rushing for the ball.

35': Chance for India.......A pass from Aniruddh Thapa from the right of a pass from Udanta Singh but Lalengmawia shoots high over the cross bar.

32': It was a complete dominance by Qatar since the kick off, India yet to create any positive chance .

30': Moustafa Tarek's header of a corner from from Akram Afif saved brilliantly by Amrinder Singh.

26': Akram Afif snatched a ball from Suresh Wanjam covered a long space but he was blocked by Rahul Bheke finally.

24': Akram Afif received a forward pass from Tameem Mansour from the left beat Nikhil Poojary in speed but his shot was saved by Amrinder Singh.

22': A lob from Udanta Singh to Lalrinzualla Chhangte down the left but the ball rolled over the touch line.

19': A cross from the right by Hasan Haydos but Lucas Mendez's header missed the target.

16': YELLOW CARD to Sandesh Jhingan, rough play against Hasan Haydos.

14': A lob from Hasan Haydos from the middle to Akram Afif but a timely tackel from Sandesh saved the situation.

12': Lalrinzualla Chhangte got past his marker from the left of a pass from Suresh, but Qatar defense in control of the situation.

9': Akram Afif got past Sandesh Jhingan from the left was about to send a cross pass but Nikhil clears the ball.

7': Qatar continued to create pressure in Indian defense.

4': GOAL.......... Qatar had the early lead 1-0, A total miscommunication between the Indian footballers inside the 18 yards, Udanta fails to clear the ball and Moustafa Tarek ulilize the opportunity and places the ball at the far corner of the net.

2': A wrong pass from Amrinder finds Almoez Ali just outside the 18 yards, Ali sends a low cross to Akram Afif but he shoots wide.

0': Match started at Kalinga stadium.

0': Teams are walking inside the playing arena, Match will start soon.

PREVIEW: India will face the challenge of the Asian champion Qatar at a full house Kalinga stadium at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening in their second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2. India defeated Kuwait by a solitary goal scored by Manvir Singh in their first match of Group A at an away encounter. Incidentally India and Qatar won their first match are on 3 points, though Qatar is enjoying the better goal advantage.

IGOR STIMAC IN PRE MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

"It's a game, where there is nothing to lose for us but a lot to win for. So let's go for it all out. We cannot control the external factors. We can only control our performances at the individual level and as a team. The only thing for us to do is to give our best for 90 minutes when the first whistle sounds."

HEAD TO HEAD

TOTAL MATCHES: 3

INDIA WON: 0

QATAR WON: 2

DRAWN: 1

PREVIOUS RECORDS

27th September 1996: QATAR 6-0 INDIA

10th Sempember 2019: INDIA 0-0 QATAR

03rd June 2021: INDIA 0-1 QATAR

âWe have analysed Qatar from every angle and position and know very well what they are capable of in terms of speed and strength. Their defensive and offensive positions are immaculate, which they demonstrated against Afghanistan by scoring eight goals. They could well have scored eight more. It is going to be very difficult and I just want the boys to enjoy their game in the next match. The first and bigger part was accomplished by winning against Kuwait, now I want the boys not to take any pressure and show their quality against Qatar.â

The match will kick off at 7 pm at will be telecasted live at Sports 18 and Jio Cinema.

KUWAIT VS INDIA - 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QLF AFC

16.11.2023 : KUWAIT 0-1 INDIA (KUW - FT )

INDIA : Manvir Singh 75'

KUWAIT : Abdul Rahman, Hasan Alanezi, Khaled Ibrahim, Fahad Alhajeri, Sultan Alenezi, Redha Abujabarah, Mobarak Alfaneni, Shabaib Alkhaldi, Athbi Saleh, Mohsen Ghareeb, Mohammad Abdullah

INDIA : Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Nikhil Poojary, ,Suresh Singh, Lalengmawia, Sunil Chhetri, Sahal Abdul Samad (Aniruddh Thapa) , Naorem Mahesh Singh (Lallianzuala Chhangte.), Manvir Singh( Liston Colaso)

REFEREE : Shuan Evans (Australia)

FULL TIME : India win away against kuwait 1-0

90+4': RED CARD TO Faisal Al Harbi OF KUWAIT.

90': 5 minutes added time.

85': 1-0 is the score line.in favor of India.

80: Save of Gurpreet from Kuwait's Mohammed Abdullah's attack.

75': GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL : 1-0 LEADING INDIAN THROUGH A BRILLIANT GOAL OF MANVIR ING WHO GOT A LEFT SIDED CROSS FROM Chhangte,.

70': SHOT OF SURESH SINGH WENT OVER KUWAIT BAR POST.

45': 2 MINUTE ADDED.

27': CHANCE TO INDIA FROM A FREE KICK OF SAHAL SAMAD BUT BALL WELL COLLECTED BY KUWAIT KEEPER.

25': 0-0 is the score line.

19': CHANCE FOR SUNIL - His shot hits the roof of side net from a cross of Nikhil.

WORST LOSS OF INDIA : 14.11.2010 - India 1-9 Kuwait

Kuwait - Al-Mutawa-4,Yousef Naser Al Sulaiman, Jarah Al Ateeqi, Fahad Al Enezi, Khaled Khalaf, Hammad Naif Al Enezi

India- Mohammed Rafi

BEST WIN OF INDIA : 05.11.2004 : India (3-2) Kuwait - Int. Friendly

IND - Tomba Singh, Jerry Zirsanga, Abhishek Yadav

--------

17.12.1978 : India (1-6) Kuwait - Asian Games

05.11.2004 : India (3-2) Kuwait - Int. Friendly

14.11.2010 : India (1-9) Kuwait - Int. Friendly

27.06.2023 : India (1-1) Kuwait - (SAFF) Champ

04.07.2023 : India (1-1, 5-4) Kuwait - (SAFF) Champ

INDIA'S PERFORMANCE OF 2022 QATAR WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION - 3RD PLACE GR-E

05/09/2019 : India ( 1â2 ) Oman

10/09/2019 : Qatar ( 0â0 ) India

15/11/2019 : India ( 1â1 ) Bangladesh

14/11/2019 : Afghanistan ( 1â1 ) India

19/11/2019 : Oman ( 1â0 ) India

03/06/2021 : India ( 0â1 ) Qatar

07/06/2021 : Bangladesh ( 0â2 ) India

15/06/2021 : India ( 1â1 ) Afghanistan