FULL TIME |China 0 - 0 India Here's a small report of the game . Also, you can catch all Indian Super League news, updates and more here .
90' + 5' For a change, Gurpreet puts in leg instead of his hand to clear the ball. Good reflexes from the big man.
90' + 3' Nikhil Poojari releases Farukh, whose shot is saved by a diving Yan Junling. India has a corner. Rowlin takes the corner but it is cleared with ease.
90' + 1' Substitution for India. Rowlin comes on for Anirudh Thapa.
90' India has defended well, helped by China's profligacy in front of the goal. Five minutes of added time at the end of the second half.
86' Gurpreet jumps high and pushes a cross out for a corner. Good reaction from the Indian keeper. The following corner comes to nothing.
STAT China has had a massive 20 shots in this game, compared to India's 7.
84' Another substitution for India, Vinit Rai replaces Pronay Haldar
83' Nikhil Poojari picks up a yellow card for not giving enough space over a Chinese freekick.
81' India ending the second half, and the game, on top. Putting together some good passes in the middle of the pitch.
79' Sandesh Jhingan with a free header from a corner but it misses the goal.
78' Another change for India. Jeje is replaced by Frukh.
77' Lots of drama on the Indian goalline. Gurpreet and the Indian defenders manage to keep the ball out. Lots of bodies on the line and India manages to clear, somehow.
76' A corner for China is headed on target from Yu Dabao but Gurpreet with a fantastic leap to push it out for another corner.
75' Fifteen minutes left in this game. It is almost four hours since China last scored a goal. Can India hold on here?
70' China hits the bar again! A lob is chested down by Gao Lin which falls to Wu Lei and he smashes it onto the crossbar.
68' At the other end, India on the rare attack but it fizzes out with an overhit cross from Halicharan Narzary.
67' China has a freekick in a good position. Gao Lin takes it and it sails just over the goal.
62' A double change for India. Narayan Das is replaced by Anas Edathodika while Nikhil Poojari replaces Udanta Singh.
60' An hour into the game and India's defence has held firm. The lack of a quality final ball is hurting China's chances.
58' Anirudh Thapa is fouled by a late, crunching tackle from Yiming Liu and he picks up a yellow card for that. Seven fouls for both sides at this stage of the game.
57' Li Xuepeng with another cross from the left, Halicharan Narzary clears it well.
55' Udanta Singh is found free on the right by Halicharan Narzary, whose shot is well over the goal. That was a golden chance!
52' Gurpreet called into action again, who runs out to block a shot from Gao Lin at the expense of a corner, which is is cleared with ease.
50' Gao Lin hits the post! Subhashish Bose fumbles with a cross and it falls to Gao Lin, whose shot rattles the bar. So so close. Gurpreet was well beaten and would have been the opening goal if it was on target.
46' China starts the second half just like it did in the first, in possession and on a quick attack. Two back-to-back chances but Pritam Kotal clears the first while Gurpreet saves the second.
46' India gets the second half underway. Substitutions for China. Xiao Zhi replaces Yu Dabao and Liu Yiming replaces Yu Yang.
HALF TIME The Blue Tigers have held their fort well and both teams go into the break on level terms. China has been the dominant team but the final ball has let it down many times. India, on the other hand, has done well to defend whatever came its way while the attacking side needs more fluidity.
STAT 41% of the game has been played in the middle third of the park, with 30% inside the Chinese third and 29% in the Indian third.
45' Halicharan Narzary, Udanta Singh and Jeje have failed to combine well with Chhetri in this half.
45' One minute of added time.
44' China wins a freekick on the right. Wu Xi takes it but Zhao Xuri's header floats over the goal.
42' Yan Junling comes out of his box to clear the ball. Chhetri takes the throw-in quickly, releasing Jeje but his shot goes wide of the goal. That was quick thinking from the Bengaluru FC skipper.
42' Sandesh Jhingan with a rugby tackle on Yu Dabao on the halfway line and he referee gives China a freekick.
41' A corner fpr China is taken short and the cross has been cleared out by Sandesh Jhingan. A repeating theme during this half.
38' Anirudh Thapa tries to build play in the midfield but, under pressure from three midfielders, he loses possession.
36' Narayan Das has had two crosses in the last few minutes and both have failed to find a teammate by huge margin. Needs to do better.
35' 10 minutes left in the first half. China set the pace of the game initially but it has slowed down now.
33' Good run on the left wing from Narayan Das, whose cross intended for Jeje is too high. A weak clearance by the Chinese falls to Udanta Singh inside Chinese box but he fails to make a good connection with the ball and a good chance goes begging.
32' India has had around 40% of the possession in the opening 30 minutes.
32' Thapa with a good ball out wide but the cross sails into the Yan Junling's hands.
29' A cross from Pritam is headed out and China goes on the offensive. India is missing out on all the second balls.
28' Pritam Kotal blocks a shot at the edge of the box, Gao Lin at the center of action again.
26' A late challenge from Yu Yang on Jeje wins India a freekick on the halfway line.
24' Gurpreet with a fantastic, low save to deny Gao Lin! The Chinese winger was free inside the Indian box and tried to place his shot beyond Gurpreet's reach but the Indian keeper did well go go low and get a block on that.
23' A lob over the Indian defence finds Li Xuepeng. The Chinese left back's final ball sails out for a goal kick. Good build up play but the final ball has let down the Chinese Dragons.
20' Subhasish Bose doing well to track the run of Yu Dabao. The Chinese striker has done well to win the aerial battles till now but loses out to the Indian CB this time.
19' China with a freekick now and Gurpreet runs out to punch it clear before the referee blew the whistle for offside.
18' Chhetri's shot floats over the goal! A freekick falls to him behind the Chinese defence. He is unmarked and in acres of space but he loses his footing right before connecting with the cross.
15' Both teams with contrasting styles. Whenever Gurpreet is in possession, he is looking for the long ball to Chhetri or Jeje's run behind the Chinese defence but China making sure to patiently build play from the defence.
13' Jeje and Chhetri combine well at the edge of the Chinese box. China gets an interception but the ball falls to Pritam Kotal, whose shot is palmed away by Yan Junling for a corner. India with its first good spell of this game.
12' Wu Xi, in possession at the edge of the box, has time to try and curl one in but it goes well wide of the goal.
11' Sandesh Jhingan, again, gets a crucial block before Yu Dabao could connect with Gao Lin's cross.
10' Sunil Chhetri has touched the ball twice in the opening ten minutes, which gives you a good picture of how the game is going.
9' A ball over the Indian midfield is well cushioned by Yu Dabao to Wu Li. China combining well in the opening minutes.
7' Sandesh Jhingan slides to block a pass across the goal from Wu Lei. Another corner for China which is cleared by a headed one-two by Pritam Kotal and Anirudh Thapa.
6' Li Xuepeng with a marauding run from left back but the Indian defence marshals the ball out for a goalkick.
4' China doing well to press in the midfield and win back possession every time India looks to attack.
3' The first shot is from China. Wu Xi shoots and it is blocked out for a corner by Anirudh Thapa. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu comes out and fists it away before Pronay Haldar clears it.
1' China with the attack straight away. A pass intended for Wu Lei goes out for an Indian throw-in.
1' We have kick-off at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium!
• Gao Lin and Zheng Zhi are presented with mementos for picking up 100 caps for China. Massive achievement for the players, who pose for photos alongside their families and China's Italian coach Marcello Lippi.
Zheng Zhi, the Chinese captain, misses today's game.
• Subhasish Bose is in the center of the Indian defence, alongside tonight's captain Sandesh Jhingan. Anas Edathodika and Pritam Kotal are the fullbacks for today. Anirudh Thapa is picked in the midfield and he partners Pronay Haldar. Udanta Singh and Halicharan Narzary complete the midfield in the wide positions Sunil Chhetri partners Jeje up front.
• Sunil Chhetri is looking forward to playing against a “quality opponent” in China as Asian giants lock horns after 21 years in a friendly at Suzhou, China, today. [ READ ]
• Defender Anas Edathodika, who has been one of the mainstays in the current Indian team defence, feels that upsetting China in front of its home crowd is "a tremendously tough job but not an impossible one." [ READ ]
• The team news is out.
India XI: Singh (GK); Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan (C), Bose, Das; Halder, Thapa; Udanta, Chhetri, Narzary; Jeje
China XI: Yan Junling; Wang Tong, Yu Yang, Feng Xiaoting, Li Xuepeng; Wu Xi, Zhao Xuri, Jin Jindao; Gao Lin, Yu Dabao, Wu Lei
China and India together account for more than a third of the world's population, but in football terms they are minnows often beaten by countries a fraction of their size.
Their struggles will be laid bare on Saturday when China hosts its Asian rival in a friendly that the home side is under huge pressure to win, and win well.
The game in Suzhou, near Shanghai, will be the first time India will play China away and the first match between their senior sides in 21 years. India has never beaten China in 17 attempts.
It may not be a match for the cognoscenti, but the coaches of both countries appreciate that hundreds of millions of people will be willing a victory for their team.
FULL PREVIEW| China vs India: A clash of football's biggest minnows
Hello and welcome to Sportstar 's coverage of the China vs India friendly game.
Comments
SHARE