India vs China football highlights, Asian Games 2023: IND 1-5 CHN, Sunil Chhetri and Co. slump to loss in opener

The referee blows the whistle. The hosts have blown the Indians away with four goals in the second half.

A Rahul KP goal in first half stoppage time sent India level at the break but China dominated the second 45 with Tao scoring two and Hao Fang impressing with a goal and assist to seal the points.

Goal!! A through ball into space at the right side of the box and Hao Fang finds the bottom right corner from a tight angle.

CHN 5 - 1 IND

Late chance for Vincy Barretto to get a goal back for India. A smart through ball played in through the defence and Barretto let out a shot from the edge of the box but it was blocked by the retreating defender.

Four minutes of added time

Rohit Danu replaces Sunil Chhetri and Amarjit Singh is replaced by Samuel James.

Much better control of the ball from India after that ten minute spell where it conceded the three goals. Clear signs of fatigue in the team after not having enough preparation time ahead of the contest.

A chance for Tao to get his hattrick. The balls falls to him at the edge of the six yard box but the attempted shot is high over the bar.

Three substitutions from the home team. Fresh legs in as they have a commanding lead. He Yupeng, Huang Jiahui and Liu Ruofan are the players coming in.

Tao gets his second! Jhingan was robbed off the ball near the box and the cross in from the touchline by Fang Hao is turned in easily by Tao.

CHN 4 - 1 IND

China strikes the post! A corner in is again not cleared properly, the Chinese players gather at the far post and the header in ricochets back in play before its cleared,

Tao Qianglong scores!! The long shot from Wang Haijian is parried to the right by Gurmeet but Tao was in the right place to turn it in. Questions regarding offside but the referees have given the goal.

CHN 3 - 1 IND

Fang Hao replaces goalscorer Dai Weijiun for the hosts

Good spell of possesssion for India. Rahul KP finds Rahim Ali on the left wing. He puts a cross in to the box where Chhetri was waiting, but the defender clears.

Sumir Rathi finds some space on the left flank and gets the cross in but it is easily pouched by the keeper. Rathi goes down immediately clutching his hamstring. Physio attending to him at the moment.

Abdul Rabeeh getting some treatment in what looks like some cramp. A short break in play after a period of sustained Chinese pressure.

First change for India as Vincy Barretto replaces Bryce Miranda.

First sings of attack from India. Bryce finds some space in the left wing but the ball in is cleared by the defence. Amarjit and Chhetri look to combine but the defence clears again.

China continues to maintain possession after taking the lead. India yet to have a sniff since the second goal went in.

Goal!! Dai Weijun lets fly from the edge of the box and finds the bottom left corner, past a diving Gurmeet. China back in the lead. Too much space awarded to the Chinese midfielder there. Should have closed him down much earlier.

CHN 2 - 1 IND

Another chance for India as Bryce does brilliantly well at the touchline and pulls it back to Chhetri waiting in the box. But the captain’s shot is slightly wayward and rises over the bar.

A cross into the box Liu Yang from the left touchline, the ball is too high to cause any trouble to the defence though.

India gets the second half underway at Hangzhou. Will the late first half goal spur them to go and complete the win?

All square at halftime between India and China. Gao Tianyi gave China the lead following a corner in the 17th minute. Gurmeet saved a penalty right after, thwarting China’s attempt to extend the lead.

India grew into the game after the goal conceded, creating more chances. Rahul KP scored a stunning solo goal in the first minute of first half stoppage time to bring the scores level.

What a goal!! Rahul KP equalises for India! Stunning solo run along the right touchline and he rifles a shot in at the near post past the Chinese keeper. The shot ricochets in off the post. India right back in the contest.

Three minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half.

Good play from Rahul KP and Abdul Rabeeh down the right. Rahul gets a cross in to the far post but it is too high for Bryce coming in. Danger averted.

Abdul Rabeeh with a ball into Rahim Ali who made a run to the right channel. Defender does well to stay close to his man. Only concedes a throw in.

Gurmeet fumbles the corner into the box, but no damage caused as there was nobody waiting to turn the ball in. He recovers and smothers the ball at the second attempt.

Excellent one touch play from the Indian midfield there, but Rahul KP’s final through ball into Bryce is wayward and the chance goes begging.

Sumit Rathi is brought down by Dai near the centre circle, he tries to find Chhetri with an early freekick but the referee stops it as the ball was not placed in the right position. Good thinking from the young defender nevertheless.

China with more control over possession now. Bryce jumps to intercept the lobbed pass from China and Chhetri goes for the second ball and is fouled in the process. The freekick comes to nothing though as it is cleared easily.

India pressing well in midfield over the last few minutes. The players have done well to win the ball in midfield. Bryce has had a few chances to put a cross in from the left flank but no real chance created apart from the Rahim Ali shot.

Amarjit Singh wins the ball back in midfield after pressure from the left winger. The ball falls to Rahim Ali who had acres of space in the box, but he goes for an early shot which is high over the bar. He had more time than he imagined there. Could have forced a shot on target.

Gurmeet saves the penalty!! Zhu Chenjie, the captain stepped up to take the penalty, He goes for the far left corner but Gurmeet does well to reach it and push it away from danger.

Penalty to China!! Gurmeet brings down Tan Long in the box and the referee points to the spot. A yellow card shown to the keeper as well.

Bryce finds space to get a cross in from the left, Rahim was lurking near the six year box but the Chinese centre back does well to head the ball away.

China switches play to the right wing, with the winger trying to cut back inside, Rahim does well to stay with the man and steal the ball.

Gao Tianyi scores!! The corner in was not cleared by India. The header at the far post falls to Gao in the six-yard area who guides it past Gurmeet to give China the lead.

CHN 1 - 0 IND

What a chance!! The cross in from the right finds the attacker making a late run into the box. Gurmeet again at the right place in the right time to block the shot.

China guilty of giving the ball away in the middle of the pitch and Chhetri lets fly from a distance. Goes over the bar though!

Gurmeet saves 1v1 against Tao!! The flag goes up for offside though! The keeper did well to stick his leg out there, preventing the striker from finding the corner.

Liu Yang attempts a through ball along the left wing for Tao, but the ball is overhit and goes away for a goalkick.

India defending with a 3 centre backs. Looks like a 3-5-2 with Rahim and Chhetri playing as the centre forwards. China going long to its strikers, restricting India’s press at the front.

Clutch save from Gurmeet to keep the scores level. Xu cuts back in from the right flank, sending a cross in which is met by Tan Long. His header was straight at the keeper who did well to repel the danger.

First attempt on goal from the hosts. Xu Haoyang gets his head to a cross in from the left but he can’t direct it on the target. Goal kick for India.

First real chance for the hosts. A low cross in from the left flank by Tao but the defence is at the right place to get it away from the danger area.

Early turnover of possession for India as Bryce Miranda goes on a run along the left touchline. He puts a cross into the box, but there is no one there to get at the end of it. Easy catch for the keeper at the end.

India is sporting its blue kit while the hosts are in its traditional full red kit. Match officials for today are from Indonesia and Thailand.

China to get us underway in this Group A encounter.

India, led by Sunil Chhetri, will be looking to beat hosts China for the first time in history. Kick off in just over 5 minutes.

The teams lineup for the national anthems.

The group stage of the men’s competition features six groups, five with four teams each and one with three. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams from all groups will advance to the round of 16.

September 27 or 28: Men’s Round of 16

October 1: Men’s Quarterfinal

October 4: Men’s Semifinal

October 7: Men’s Gold/Bronze medal match

Matches Played: 4

India wins: 0

Draws: 1

China wins: 3

Matches played: 15

India wins: 0

Draws: 7

China wins: 8

“It is difficult to say because you don’t have much information about all the teams you’re going to face there. I think we are the only team that hasn’t played a single game with the under-23s in the last two years.

“How much we can do in a short period of time is a huge question. Obviously, we do have strong under-23 players, who are already a huge part of the senior national team, and it should help us,” Stimac said.

“We are going to face the biggest opponent in our group, China, in the opening game. And 48 hours later, we have to play the next opponent (Bangladesh), which is hugely surprising. We’re going to put all our efforts into the opening game and do our best to beat China to make our lives easier,” he added.

Igor Stimac: No training session before China game, we will give tactical preparation on flight

The Indian men’s football team head coach Igor Stimac said that since his side will not have any training sessions, it intends to use the travelling time for tactical preparation, ahead of its Asian Games opening fixture in Hangzhou on Tuesday.

“The players are arriving at the airport at 5-6 p.m. today. We have a flight at 10 p.m. and will reach Hong Kong at 7 a.m. We then need to wait another 5-6 hours to take a flight to Hangzhou, where we will reach at 5 p.m. (on Monday).

We will not have a single training session prior to the game. We will give tactical preparation at the airport and on the flight. We need to let players rest once we reach Hangzhou before the first game,” the Croat lamented.

“There is no reason to look back now. It’s time to focus on what can be done within our power to open the tournament with a good fight. We cannot expect more. More importantly, I will need to approach this very carefully and discuss with the players about their physical conditions,” Stimac added.

- Aashin Prasad

Read full presser here.

India: Gurmeet (GK), Lalchungnunga, Sandesh Jhingan, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Sumit Rathi, Amarjit Singh, Rahim Ali, Rahul KP, Sunil Chhetri (C), Bryce Miranda, Abdul Anjukandan

China: Han Jiaqi (GK), Liu Yang, Jiang Shenlong, Zhu Chenjie (C), Wang Zhenao, Xu Haoyang, Wang Haijian, Gao Tianyi, Tao Qianglong, Dai Weijun, Tan Long

Goalkeepers: Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Vishal Yadav

Defenders: Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Lalchungnunga.

Midfielders: Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James Lyngdoh, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Vincy Barretto.

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav

Head coach: Igor Stimac

September 19: China vs India - (17:00 IST, Hangzhou)

September 21: India vs Bangladesh (13:30 IST, Xiaoshan)

September 24: Myanmar vs India (17:00 IST, Xiaoshan)

Indian football’s journey in the Asian Games has witnessed a transformation from prominence to relative obscurity. The roots of India’s footballing glory in the tournament can be traced back to its remarkable victory in the inaugural edition held in 1951 in New Delhi.

It was on the Asian Games stage that India showcased its footballing prowess, emulating this feat again in Jakarta in 1962 and securing a bronze medal in Bangkok in 1970. These three medals represented the achievements of three generations of footballers who thrived under the legacy and infrastructure established by the British during their colonial rule.

However, the subsequent 50 years witnessed a steady decline, marked by mismanagement and mediocrity. Despite initial success, India’s administrators failed to sustain the developmental initiatives required to keep pace with the global progress of the sport.

Following the early period of glory, the peak of India’s performance was a sixth-place finish when it hosted the Asian Games again in 1982. In the years that followed, India’s performance graph continued to dip, and when the Asian Games became an event for under-23 national teams, like the Olympics, in 2002, India’s performance deteriorated further.

The nadir came in 2014 when India finished 26th in Incheon, and the nation opted not to participate in the subsequent edition in Jakarta in 2018. The Indian Sports Ministry’s reluctance to send teams without medal prospects led to a concerted effort by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to secure the participation of both the men’s and women’s national teams in Hangzhou.

- Amitabha Das Sharma

When and where can I watch Indian football matches in the Asian Games?

All Indian football matches, men and women, will be live telecast in the Sony Ten Network and can be live streamed on Sony LIV.

Welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the Asian Games 2023 men’s football match between India and China at Hangzhou. Stay Tuned for info regarding the lineups and live updates from the game.