U-23 AFC Qualifiers: India goes down to Syria

Goals from Rabie Srour in the 64th minute and Fares Arnaout in the 88th minute sunk India in its opening match.

Published : Jul 20, 2017 13:59 IST , Doha

Representative image.
Representative image.
lightbox-info

Representative image.

India lost 0-2 to Syria in its opening match of the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium here.

Both teams played cautiously as the opening half failed to produce any goals.

India pressed hard, trying to unsettle the physically superior Syrians. The first chance of the day fell to striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia but the former All India Football Federation (AIFF) academy cadet could not convert.

Nikhil Poojary on the right flank kept the rival defence busy with his incisive crosses, as the Indian midfield preferred to rotate from one side to the other.

In the 37th minute, a string of passes found the tireless Germanpreet Singh but his prompt right-footer rebounded off the post for a corner.

The resultant corner, a long one from Anirudh Thapa was met by Nishu Kumar from the top of the box but it missed the target by a whisker as both teams headed to the interval goalless.

Few minutes into the second half, striker Manvir Singh came close to scoring the opener but his header landed safely into the Syrian goalkeeper’s gloves.

As the game neared the hour-mark, the Indians appeared to lose the plot a bit — skipper Lalruatthara and Nishu Kumar going into the referee’s book for challenges.

Syria went ahead in the 64th minute through striker Rabie Srour who lobbed the ball over Indian goalkeeper Vishal Kaith who was caught out of position. Central defender Salam Ranjan Singh made a valiant attempt to keep the ball out of the net but to no avail.

India’s first substitution came in the 72nd minute — Hitesh Sharma coming in for Daniel. Head coach Stephen Constantine followed it up with a another substitution in the 81st minute — Sarthak Golui and Robinson Singh coming in for Lalruatthara and Anirudh Thapa respectively.

Three minutes later, Nikhil Poojary powered another cross from the right flank but Hitesh mistimed his leap to find the elusive equaliser.

Syria sealed the fate of the match in the 88th minute when Fares Arnaout doubled its lead.

India U-23 boys will next play group favourites Qatar on Friday.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment