DHAKA, BANGLADESH: India meekly surrendered to Bangladesh, a side ranked almost fifty spots below them in the FIFA rankings, to lose 0-1 in their penultimate AFC Asian Cup Qualifier game at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday, November 18. Bangladesh took the lead in the 10th minute thanks to an exquisitely placed goal from Shekh Morsalin, and managed to retain it all evening.
The quality on offer from the Indians was far inferior to that of the Bangladeshis, and this hurt them. Head coach Khalid Jamil, who had promised a fight before the game despite it being a dead rubber, could not enthuse his wards enough to at least equalise. Although India dictated terms in the final third in the first half, they were kept at bay by some dogged man-marking by the hosts.
Although he handed out two debut caps – Mohammed Sanan and Lalremtluanga Fanai – this could not turn India’s fortunes around. Bangladesh’s Hamza Choudhury, who has the experience of playing in the Premier League with Leicester City, sat in front of their two central defenders and pulled strings from deep. He was also responsible for thwarting most of India’s chances, especially from set-pieces, thanks to his tall frame and technical skillset.
Choudhury was in the limelight twice in the first half, predominantly when he headed a curved shot on goal from Lallianzuala Chhangte away with the Bangladesh goalkeeper far away from his mark. Later on in the half, he was in action in India’s half, almost toeing a controlled ball into the net with his left foot but hitting it wide of goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
India lost the ball far too often in midfield, with Suresh Singh and Nikhil Prabhu not able to string too many passes together. However, their blushes were saved quite often by their centre-back duo of Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali, with fullbacks Nikhil Prabhu and Akash Mishra (returning for the first time since March 2024 due to an ACL injury) being put through their paces by the home team’s wingers.
Bangladesh retained their lead thanks largely to their dominating presence in the centre of the park, as well as their midfielders’ willingness to stay compact and press high when possession changed hands. India coach Jamil knows that his team has a lot of work to put in before approaching a phase of transition.
In their current hue, India look toothless in attack, with little to no quality on offer in the final third. Very rarely were lobbed passes or through balls seen from the Indian attackers, with their attention predominantly on crosses. The Blue Tigers are currently ranked last in their group with no wins in five matches. Their next, and final, encounter in this tournament is against Hong Kong in March 2026.
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