Technoglitch
Core Member
India was not beaten by much, but against a sharper, superior opponent it could script no success story. Sunil Chhetri’s stunning goal proved inadequate as Oman triumphed 2-1 in this 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier (AFC second round) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.
India will rue its sloppiness — one goal conceded seconds into the match and another from the spot — but it was not embarrassed.
Stephen Constantine handed four players their first caps, with three of them — Lalchhuanmawia, Rino Anto, and Dhanachandra Singh — lining up at the back. It does not seem like a recipe for cohesive defending and it may have been a factor in India’s catastrophic beginning to the game.
With 20 seconds on the clock Oman rushed up the left flank. An eager, raucous crowd watched in stunned silence as Qasim Said buried the ball in the net. India had barely realised what had happened before there emerged more fires to fight. Subrata Paul tipped a free-kick over the bar before making a desperate block from close range. The equaliser came out of nothing. Sunil Chhetri, standing outside the area with his back to goal, fired a remarkable shot on the turn. Ali al Habsi stretched his six-foot-four-inch frame to its full extent, but the ball sailed past him and into the net off the post.
The goal seemed to have galvanised India. But hope was extinguished just as soon as it had been renewed. Eid al Farsi’s mazy run into the box was deemed to have been unfairly stopped by Dhanachandra. The South Korean referee Ko Hyung Jin pointed to the spot and Imad al Hosni calmly slotted the ball in.
India emerged with a fresh sense of purpose in the second half but there were few clear chances. Robin had the ball in the net off C.K. Vineeth’s cross in the 68th minute but the big forward was adjudged offside.
Sloppy India pushes Oman but falls short - The Hindu
India will rue its sloppiness — one goal conceded seconds into the match and another from the spot — but it was not embarrassed.
Stephen Constantine handed four players their first caps, with three of them — Lalchhuanmawia, Rino Anto, and Dhanachandra Singh — lining up at the back. It does not seem like a recipe for cohesive defending and it may have been a factor in India’s catastrophic beginning to the game.
With 20 seconds on the clock Oman rushed up the left flank. An eager, raucous crowd watched in stunned silence as Qasim Said buried the ball in the net. India had barely realised what had happened before there emerged more fires to fight. Subrata Paul tipped a free-kick over the bar before making a desperate block from close range. The equaliser came out of nothing. Sunil Chhetri, standing outside the area with his back to goal, fired a remarkable shot on the turn. Ali al Habsi stretched his six-foot-four-inch frame to its full extent, but the ball sailed past him and into the net off the post.
The goal seemed to have galvanised India. But hope was extinguished just as soon as it had been renewed. Eid al Farsi’s mazy run into the box was deemed to have been unfairly stopped by Dhanachandra. The South Korean referee Ko Hyung Jin pointed to the spot and Imad al Hosni calmly slotted the ball in.
India emerged with a fresh sense of purpose in the second half but there were few clear chances. Robin had the ball in the net off C.K. Vineeth’s cross in the 68th minute but the big forward was adjudged offside.
Sloppy India pushes Oman but falls short - The Hindu
